95bFM Prison abolition group criticises move to increase prison populations
17 October, 2024
Interview by Oto Sequeira, adapted by Esther O’Donnell
People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokesperson, Emmy Rākete, says that these moves “wouldn’t get across the line any other way,” and will do nothing to fix chronic overcrowding and understaffing within the prison system.
On the 7th of October, the Government announced 149 projects they intend to fast-track as a part of the Fast Track Approvals Bill, with plans to develop the prison system.
These changes to the prison system include increasing prison capacity and building a ‘mega-prison’ in Pāremoremo.
The Bill has faced opposition from many groups and individuals, including prison abolition advocacy group People Against Prisons Aotearoa.
People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokesperson and Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Emmy Rākete, told 95bFM’s The Wire that this is just one example of the Fast-Track legislation being used to push through projects the Government “wouldn’t get across the line any other way”, and are simply “bad projects”.
“I was annoyed, but I also wasn't surprised.”
“[The Minister of Police, Mark Mitchell], is currently sitting on advice showing the prison population could be as high as 13,600 by 2028 because this government has aggressively pursued policies that will drive the prison population up as overcrowding gets worse; the government's going to be scrambling for ways to fit more people into prisons.”
Rākete views this policy as a way to get more people into prisons. However, she believes the issue is not that there are not enough prisons — rather there are too many prisoners, making the whole system unsustainable in the long term.
“The problem is that we have an insane, doomed commitment to austerity; to punishing the poor and driving up the prison population.”
“This government needs to reverse course and start implementing policies that can address the structural causes of crime.”
She also cites chronic issues with understaffing as another barrier to the government’s plans, noting these will only worsen with plans to expand Pāremoremo prison.
Rākete argues there will be negative consequences for prisoners and the local community of Pāremoremo alike.
“It’s going to gobble up land that people use for stuff; there are parklands near there which will be turned into torture chambers. It's going to affect property prices; it's going to make the community a busier, harsher, more crowded, more environmentally polluted place.”
“[The government] were never going to get community support for this expansion.”
