Bindra MaheshMAHESH BINDRA (NZ First): For the last 3 years—the nearly 3 years that I have been here—Corrections has been in the news far too frequently almost always for the wrong reasons. One of the most important aspects of a front-line corrections officer's job is to assess the newly arrived prisoners into the prison system. They get the first 4 hours to assess a prisoner before the prisoner is judged as non-compliant by the prison auditors. That is the most important aspect of a prisoner's stay in prison: that he or she is assessed as either being mainstream—as in a normal-placement prisoner—or if they are assessed as being at risk of self-harm or suicide they are then placed in at-risk units which are popularly known as ARUs.The ARU system is in 14 out of 18 prisons in New Zealand which means that four prisons do not have those units. The 14 prisons that have the at-risk units have dedicated staff allocated for those units. However that does not mean that they are specially trained staff. They are front-line corrections officers who either show their willingness to work in those high-risk areas or are allocated those high-risk units.On 1 March this year the Chief Ombudsman released this report which focuses only on the at-risk unit management of our prisons. This report is scathing it is very revealing and it is very very damning in my view. I would like to actually quote some of the findings the Chief Ombudsman has documented. One of the first things that he mentions is that Training for staff working in ARUs is basic." That is a fact because the officers working in at-risk units do not get specialised training. The training is very basic and it is not adequate. It is not adequate to enable them to assess the prisoners correctly and efficiently. The second thing that he mentions is that "Staff interactions with At-Risk prisoners are limited." These are things about only the at-risk units. However this report actually goes beyond that. It also covers the restraining system which is used very sparingly for prisoners who are at a really high risk of self-harm and who cannot be managed in normal units.One of the most important recommendations that the Ombudsman has made is that we must "Ensure all officers are provided with adequate training; and … Audit the healthcare needs in institutions and ensure adequate access to mental health services." Then he goes on to say: "review … the level of training and support that custodial staff receive in working with prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm."These are only two aspects that I am mentioning. I do not think I will have the time to go through the other points that I have taken down but when we come to these Estimates there is nothing at all allocated for prisoners at risk of self-harm and suicide. Even in the pilot projects there is not a mention of the dollar amount that will be allocated to this pilot project. Although it is a good beginning without resources I have a doubt—and a very strong one at that—that this project will be able to achieve what it is setting out to achieve. At-risk prisoners will remain at risk without resources which are wanting and without the resources that they need and without the specialised training that those front-line staff deserve and need. Thank you."