Violent video in prison prompts clampdown

Press, 5 February 1987, Page 6

Violent video in prison prompts clampdown

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The showing of a sexually violent video, “I Spit On Your Grave,” to inmates of Paparua Prison is leading to a tightening of the rules governing the screening of videos to prisoners. This video was screened on October 12 last year and was chosen from a catalogue supplied by a local video shop., The Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer, was asked in Parliament yesterday if the showing of such videos was part of his policy for the rehabilitation of rapists and other

sex offenders. “I have told the officials concerned that I do not regard the showing of this sort of video as suitable,” he said. In future it might be appropriate to have a rule to screen only videos approved by the Film Censor once empowering legislation now before Parliament had been passed but “I Spit On Your Grave” had been passed by the censor with an R certificate in 1984.

The Opposition Spokesman on Justice, Mr Paul East (Rotorua), asked if Mr Palmer would ban the showing of any videos in

New Zealand prisons but Mr Palmer said there could be problems with that.

It was not clear who had paid for the video to be shown. Prisoners were entitled to one a month but he did not know if this had been their official monthly video or one they had paid for themselves. “I do not approve of showing videos of this character in prisons and I will bring it to an end,” Mr Palmer told Parliament.

He was greeted with jeers from the Opposition, which accused him of being “soft on rapists and violent offenders.”