Press release - [1:30pm 29/05/2017] - For Immediate Use

PRESS RELEASE: No Pride in Prisons

Ombudsman finds Corrections unjustified in withholding riot report

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has found that the Department of Corrections was unjustified in refusing to release its report into the Spring Hill riot of 2013.

The Spring Hill riot report was subject to multiple Official Information Act requests, all of which were declined. One of these requests was made by Ti Lamusse on behalf of the prisoner advocacy organisation No Pride in Prisons.

“It was only following a complaint to the Ombudsman by Ti Lamusse that the report was finally released,” says No Pride in Prisons’ spokesperson Emilie Rākete.

In a recently released letter to Lamusse, Judge Boshier writes, “My final opinion is that the Department should not have refused your request for the full report.”

“It is clear that Corrections did everything it could to stop unflattering information from getting out,” says Rākete.

“The report shows that Corrections was keeping prisoners locked in their cells for up to 26 hours at a time in the lead up to the riot.”

“Family and friends of prisoners said at the time that the riot was caused by this inhumane lockup regime, but Corrections tried to blame it on gang members and alcohol.”

“Corrections said that the riot was the prisoners’ responsibility entirely. It tried to quietly bury this report because it knew the findings were different from what it was saying publicly.”

“Without organisations like No Pride in Prisons holding Corrections to account, it will continue to try to avoid public accountability for its cruel and inhumane practices,” says Rākete.

A copy of Judge Boshier’s letter to Ti Lamusse will be made available on request.

ENDS

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