Paparua Prison Plans May Be Expedited

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30809, 22 July 1965, Page 18

Paparua Prison Plans May Be Expedited

The burning and sacking of Mount Eden Prison may hasten and alter plans to redevelop Paparua Prison.

Fifteen months ago, “The Press” printed a photograph of a model showing the proposed additions and alterations to Paparua Prison. Working drawings are well in hand, according to the Christchurch office of the Ministry of Works, which has been steadily working on the plans for the last year.

No funds have been voted for the work in this year’s estimates. The Secretary of Justice (Mr J. L. Robson), in his annual report to Parliament this year, says that plans are nearly ready for maior additions at Paparua Prison, and a new women’s prison near Christchurch is also being planned. Plans for Paparua Prison Include a new services block (kitchens, bakery, butchery boiler-house, laundry and dry-cleaning shop) and two dining blocks as the first stage. The second stage includes a new administration and staff amenities block and a control block. The third and last stage includes two new cell blocks. The superintendent of Paparua Prison (Mr M. C.

Carew), questioned yesterday, said that events at Mount Eden could alter the order of the stages at Paparua. The new cell blocks at Paparua will be built of reinforced concrete, with extensive, heavily-barred windows The cells will be back to back in an inner core of the buildings, with no contact with outside walls. The single-storey block will have 20 cells, as well as a division for recalcitrant prisoners. The three-storey block will have 48 cells, and is modelled on the new maximum-security prison to be built at Paremoremo, 14 miles from Auckland. The existing cell blocks at Paparua—the east and west wings—were designed to hold 75 prisoners in each. Up to this year, Paparua has held an average daily number of 180 prisoners. Occasionally there have been as many as 220. At present, no-one is sent to Paparua unless he has

been in some other penal institution. Paparua Prison has 2500 acres of farming land surroundling it, is well out of Christchurch, and is an ideal site for a prison compared with Mount Eden Prison. Paparua Prison, Rolieston Prison (which can accommodate 30 to 50 prisoners) and Addington Prison (used for remands, for prisoners beginning and ending a sentence, and persons sentenced to a week or a fortnight’s gaol) comprise the Christchurch prison complex. Last year, the average daily number of prisoners held in Christchurch was 284, compared with 358 in Auckland. The greatest number of persons in prison in Christchurch at any one time last year was 317, compared with 408 in Auckland. The lowest number in Christchurch was 209. compared with 319 in Auckland. There are 20 penal institutions in New Zealand at present, but only six are prisons. The others include borstal institutions, reformatories, vottth centres, a detention centre, and a classification centre prison (Wi Take). Last year, there was an average daily number of 1814 persons held in the 20 institutions, more than one-third of them being held at Mount Eden. Paparua. Rolieston, and Addington. In his report to Parliament this year, Mr Robson says that the work of the Justice Department continues to suffer because of inadequate and outmoded buildings. “Present-day penal policy cannot be successfully applied in buildings constructed many years ago merely as places of custody,” he says. “The department’s requirements are a modest portion of the total capital works expenditure, and must be maintained if approved oenal policies are to be followed and proper facilities are to be provided in the courts.”