Borrows Chester: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
Borrows Chester: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
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CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) 
: 
 I rise to add a voice in support of the Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) in its closing stage. A lot has been made by members on the other side of the Chamber about the reduction in the number of prison escapes during the tenure of the last Government in comparison to the number of escapes that occurred before then. The point needs to be made that people liked being in jail when Labour was in charge. We need to make another point—if prisoners do vote they tend to vote Labour. If they take the time to vote—and they do have the opportunity to vote—it is the natural assumption one can make from looking at the demographics of those who are in jail. If people know anything about the nature of law and order issues and who is committing offences—or at least who is getting caught why they are getting caught and who is getting banged up; I am prepared to accept that—they tend to come from the demographic in society who vote Labour. That is just the way it is. It is stating a fact and members opposite should not take umbrage. 
This bill complements recent security and surveillance improvements such as the new fences that the Hon Clayton Cosgrove mentioned cameras motion detectors which sounds a bit messy but I guess they are there microwave sensors and expanded drug-dog teams. The point is that over the time of the last Government technology increased to such a degree that it was easier to import contraband into prisons. 
There has been growth in the gang population in prisons and in their ability to continue to do business there and technology has advanced such that cellphones have become smaller and smaller so they can be hidden in the smallest of dark and inaccessible places. The National Party was accused of having done nothing about cellphone carriage in those dark and moist places when it was previously in Government but the fact is that the last time National was in Government cellphones were the size of a brick. It was a hell of a lot more uncomfortable then to carry one of those around hidden on one’s person. 
Over the last 9 years National has consistently highlighted the unacceptable levels of contraband within prisons. It was interesting to note for instance that Rachealle Namana the killer of 23-month old Lillybing who was released from prison claimed that while she was in prison she had access to a range of drugs including P and she downloaded pornography on to a cellphone. In 2006 a prostitute was found on site in the prison. An inmate had placed an order by cellphone for a prostitute to come to the prison. Again in 2006 an inmate of Christchurch Men’s Prison was sending obscene text messages to women. Of course we know that inmates have been able to intimidate witnesses and staff members and have been able to use contraband to further their exploits while they are in prison. 
It is timely that this legislation is coming through. It is an indictment on the previous Labour Government that it was unable to move forward its own legislation. It was so besotted with trying to move legislation such as the Electoral Finance Act and the emissions trading scheme through the House that this slipped right past. I am very pleased to be part of a Government that is moving forward with these very necessary legislative devices to be able to control behaviour in prisons. To pick up on the point made by the previous speaker from the Green Party I say that we are very much concerned about the safety of prisoners. None of us would like to be in jail and none of us would like our family members to be there but the fact is that prisoners are at risk when they are in jail and they need to be kept safe. That is the nature of holding people in custody. 
But we also need to be very concerned about the ability to intimidate and to assault people who are employed within the corrections system. We know that people have been intimidated. Staff members have been contacted at home and the heavy has been put on them to carry contraband into prisons. We notice too with the proclivity of gang involvement in prisons and around prison areas that they have access almost whenever they want it to get contraband in and out of jails one way or another using mules to carry it. It is interesting to note too the ability of gangs to intimidate people who live in State houses as reported on the front page of the  
Dominion Post 
 last week. Of course this occurred at Pomare which is not very far at all from Rimutaka Prison. Those gang members who have taken over a whole neighbourhood are very much in danger of taking over whole prisons. This legislation is a timely antidote for the suppurating mess that our prisons have become under the previous Government.