Meg de Ronde's guest appearances

Meg de Ronde

Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

95bFM: The Wire

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

ACTivate

Holiday Breakfast

Dave Gerrard

Bryan Waddle

David White

Cameron George

John Carter

Michael Wood

Anna Burns-Francis

Julie White

Gavin Grey

Grant McMillan

Tiwai Point

Catherine Beard

Richard Wagstaff

Ashley Bloomfield

Ian Taylor

OwlTail

Auckland Women's Prison treated inmates in a "degrading", "cruel" and "inhumane" manner in a "concerted effort to break their spirit", according to a stinging ruling from a district court judge.Corrections broke its own rules and regulations multiple times in its treatment of Mihi Bassett and Karma Cripps, who were gassed in their cells and forced to perform a humiliating ritual to be fed, Manukau District Court Judge David McNaughton says.His ruling also confirms the women had to remove their underwear in front of male guards in order to get clean pairs and were, at times, denied toiletries and sanitary products.Bassett, diagnosed with PTSD after being raped by a gang member at 17, attempted suicide in the prison and the judge said her deteriorating mental health "would have been obvious to any interested observer".After Bassett was moved to the prison's Intensive Support Unit, her partner, Cripps, was put in the cell Bassett had attempted suicide in - even though there were other cells available - an action the judge described as cruel.The judge's findings stand in stark contrast to assurances Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis gave when RNZ broke the story of Cripps and Bassett's treatment last year.Davis said then that his department had assured him the treatment of the women was lawful. "Regarding claims that women were made to undress in front of male staff, I have received assurance that this practice is not in place."But the judge said Cripps and Bassett's evidence was "powerful and compelling" and entirely consistent. "I have no reason to doubt their evidence," he said.Details of their treatment were revealed after Bassett and other inmates set fire to property at Auckland Women's Prison in 2019 and they were taken to court on arson charges.But the judge became concerned when hearing about the women's treatment.After lighting the fire in protest at having bin-liners removed - the prison removed them to stop women using them to cover their faces when pepper sprayed in their cells - Bassett was sent to D wing, a segregation unit known as the pound.But Justice McNaughton found Corrections broke its own rules in sending Bassett to the pound and kept her there without proper authorisation.Bassett, now 27, spent four months in the pound in conditions the judge described as "particularly harsh, including an inability to interact with other prisoners or Corrections staff".Corrections must follow a process when sending inmates to the pound, but failed to do so and the judge ruled "the legal basis for her segregation remains unclear on the evidence".A prison can only keep an inmate in the pound for two weeks unless the chief executive of Corrections extends the order. The detention then has to be reviewed monthly and the order expires after three months unless a visiting justice extends it."Ms Bassett was denied the opportunity to attend any disciplinary hearing before a Visiting Justice," Judge McNaughton found."Her continued confinement in D Wing cannot therefore be said to have been as a result of a lawful penalty of cell confinement which in any event could only have been for a maximum duration of 15 days."The judge found Corrections acted unlawfully by holding Bassett in the pound for four months. "There is no evidence that a segregation order was in force in respect of Ms Bassett. If such an order was in force it was clearly in breach of the act."Bassett was aware of her rights "but even when she sought to exercise them she was denied them", the judge said.The ruling shows that the harsh conditions combined with having their complaints ignored prompted the women to set off their cell sprinklers in protest.The prison would respond by using the Cell Buster pepper spray to force them out of their cells - which had flooded and become a safety risk.The Cell Buster, which is sprayed under the cell door, was used on Bassett four times but in doing so Corrections broke its own regulations, which restri...

Auckland Women's Prison treated inmates in a "degrading", "cruel" and "inhumane" manner in a "concerted effort to break their spirit", according to a stinging ruling from a district court judge. Corrections broke its own rules and regulations multiple times in its treatment of Mihi Bassett and Karma Cripps, who were gassed in their cells and forced to perform a humiliating ritual to be fed, Manukau District Court Judge David McNaughton says. His ruling also confirms the women had to remove their underwear in front of male guards in order to get clean pairs and were, at times, denied toiletries and sanitary products. Bassett, diagnosed with PTSD after being raped by a gang member at 17, attempted suicide in the prison and the judge said her deteriorating mental health "would have been obvious to any interested observer". After Bassett was moved to the prison's Intensive Support Unit, her partner, Cripps, was put in the cell Bassett had attempted suicide in - even though there were other cells available - an action the judge described as cruel. The judge's findings stand in stark contrast to assurances Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis gave when RNZ broke the story of Cripps and Bassett's treatment last year. Davis said then that his department had assured him the treatment of the women was lawful. "Regarding claims that women were made to undress in front of male staff, I have received assurance that this practice is not in place." But the judge said Cripps and Bassett's evidence was "powerful and compelling" and entirely consistent. "I have no reason to doubt their evidence," he said. Details of their treatment were revealed after Bassett and other inmates set fire to property at Auckland Women's Prison in 2019 and they were taken to court on arson charges. But the judge became concerned when hearing about the women's treatment. After lighting the fire in protest at having bin-liners removed - the prison removed them to stop women using them to cover their faces when pepper sprayed in their cells - Bassett was sent to D wing, a segregation unit known as the pound. But Justice McNaughton found Corrections broke its own rules in sending Bassett to the pound and kept her there without proper authorisation. Bassett, now 27, spent four months in the pound in conditions the judge described as "particularly harsh, including an inability to interact with other prisoners or Corrections staff". Corrections must follow a process when sending inmates to the pound, but failed to do so and the judge ruled "the legal basis for her segregation remains unclear on the evidence". A prison can only keep an inmate in the pound for two weeks unless the chief executive of Corrections extends the order. The detention then has to be reviewed monthly and the order expires after three months unless a visiting justice extends it. "Ms Bassett was denied the opportunity to attend any disciplinary hearing before a Visiting Justice," Judge McNaughton found. "Her continued confinement in D Wing cannot therefore be said to have been as a result of a lawful penalty of cell confinement which in any event could only have been for a maximum duration of 15 days." The judge found Corrections acted unlawfully by holding Bassett in the pound for four months. "There is no evidence that a segregation order was in force in respect of Ms Bassett. If such an order was in force it was clearly in breach of the act." Bassett was aware of her rights "but even when she sought to exercise them she was denied them", the judge said. The ruling shows that the harsh conditions combined with having their complaints ignored prompted the women to set off their cell sprinklers in protest. The prison would respond by using the Cell Buster pepper spray to force them out of their cells - which had flooded and become a safety risk. The Cell Buster, which is sprayed under the cell door, was used on Bassett four times but in doing so Corrections broke its own regulations, which restri...

Meg de Ronde: Judge rules treatment at Auckland Women's Prison 'degrading' and 'inhumane'

Police say a "complex investigation" that could take several months is under way into the six-day riot at Waikeria Prison, which ended yesterday.The 16 inmates who destroyed the top jail surrendered peacefully at 12.37pm and now the facility is unusable, the Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says.Rioting began after fires were lit in the exercise yard on Tuesday afternoon. The inmates took over the jail in less than 24 hours.Advocates say they were protesting against unhygienic and dehumanising conditions - claims vehemently denied by Corrections.Police were not in a position to comment on any charges the inmates might face last night, a spokesperson said.And with the top jail being treated as a crime scene, Corrections were not able to comment specifically to avoid prejudging the outcome.Barrister Gary Gotlieb says police investigators face a strenuous task."We don't know the facts yet and it's going to take time to work out what actually did happen," he said."If [the inmates] just got themselves on the roof and not really hurt or threatened prison officers, we're getting more to the property type of offending."We are going to have to wait and see what the police are going to charge them with. It's going to be a matter of watching the space."The prison went into lockdown soon after rioting began last week, with 200 prisoners soon evacuated from the top jail and taken to other prisons.The near week-long riot only ended after Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi met the inmates."They were ready to come down," Waititi said. "Naturally, they were tired and hungry but still very determined to see change."Most of the 16 were members of the Mongols and Comancheros gangs, with five of the men deported from Australia.Department of Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot says they are not aware of any complaints made by the men in relation to their living conditions."There is no excuse for what these men have done," he said."The actions by the men exposed them, other prisoners, our staff, and emergency services to significant danger."Davis does not believe the inmates were rioting over living conditions, he told the media yesterday afternoon.The minister thanked emergency services, Corrections staff, kaumātua, and tangata whenua for their efforts, support and guidance over the standoff.Davis said he chose not to speak out during the siege because he did not want to encourage similar behaviour from other prisoners, saying the inmates wanted political attention from the rioting.Asked about his apparent lack of communication amid the rioting, Davis said his role was to leave the response to the experts.Corrections incident controller Jeanette Burns said staff tried to end the rioting on Saturday night but were met with force by the inmates.After retreating to prevent injury, Corrections received word about 11.30am yesterday that the inmates were ready to surrender and just over an hour later all were off the roof and secured."At all times, Corrections were in control of the situation," Burns said.Two reviews have been commissioned into the rioting, Lightfoot said.The first is an operational review by the chief custodial officer, which should be completed within three months.The second, by the office of the chief inspector, should be completed within six to nine months.ActionStation, People Against Prisons Aotearoa, and JustSpeak called on police not to press additional charges against the inmates.They said the men were protesting against breaches of human rights and Corrections had to address the issues to ensure their safety and wellbeing.Waikeria Prison rioters surrender after six-day stand-off; jail conditions not reason for unrest, says Kelvin Davis.The Human Rights Commission has called for an inquiry, with Chief Commissioner Paul Hunt saying the...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police say a "complex investigation" that could take several months is under way into the six-day riot at Waikeria Prison, which ended yesterday. The 16 inmates who destroyed the top jail surrendered peacefully at 12.37pm and now the facility is unusable, the Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. Rioting began after fires were lit in the exercise yard on Tuesday afternoon. The inmates took over the jail in less than 24 hours. Advocates say they were protesting against unhygienic and dehumanising conditions - claims vehemently denied by Corrections. Police were not in a position to comment on any charges the inmates might face last night, a spokesperson said. And with the top jail being treated as a crime scene, Corrections were not able to comment specifically to avoid prejudging the outcome. Barrister Gary Gotlieb says police investigators face a strenuous task. "We don't know the facts yet and it's going to take time to work out what actually did happen," he said. "If [the inmates] just got themselves on the roof and not really hurt or threatened prison officers, we're getting more to the property type of offending. "We are going to have to wait and see what the police are going to charge them with. It's going to be a matter of watching the space." The prison went into lockdown soon after rioting began last week, with 200 prisoners soon evacuated from the top jail and taken to other prisons. The near week-long riot only ended after Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi met the inmates. "They were ready to come down," Waititi said. "Naturally, they were tired and hungry but still very determined to see change." Most of the 16 were members of the Mongols and Comancheros gangs, with five of the men deported from Australia. Department of Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot says they are not aware of any complaints made by the men in relation to their living conditions. "There is no excuse for what these men have done," he said. "The actions by the men exposed them, other prisoners, our staff, and emergency services to significant danger." Davis does not believe the inmates were rioting over living conditions, he told the media yesterday afternoon. The minister thanked emergency services, Corrections staff, kaumātua, and tangata whenua for their efforts, support and guidance over the standoff. Davis said he chose not to speak out during the siege because he did not want to encourage similar behaviour from other prisoners, saying the inmates wanted political attention from the rioting. Asked about his apparent lack of communication amid the rioting, Davis said his role was to leave the response to the experts. Corrections incident controller Jeanette Burns said staff tried to end the rioting on Saturday night but were met with force by the inmates. After retreating to prevent injury, Corrections received word about 11.30am yesterday that the inmates were ready to surrender and just over an hour later all were off the roof and secured. "At all times, Corrections were in control of the situation," Burns said. Two reviews have been commissioned into the rioting, Lightfoot said. The first is an operational review by the chief custodial officer, which should be completed within three months. The second, by the office of the chief inspector, should be completed within six to nine months. ActionStation, People Against Prisons Aotearoa, and JustSpeak called on police not to press additional charges against the inmates. They said the men were protesting against breaches of human rights and Corrections had to address the issues to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Waikeria Prison rioters surrender after six-day stand-off; jail conditions not reason for unrest, says Kelvin Davis. The Human Rights Commission has called for an inquiry, with Chief Commissioner Paul Hunt saying the...See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Meg de Ronde: Amnesty International calls for independent inquiry into New Zealand prisons