Simon Power MP
National Party Justice & Corrections Spokesman
2 July 2008
Waist restraints - another Corrections bungle
Corrections Minister Phil Goff must explain how prisoners in transit are able to slip out of their new waist restraints,
says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power.
He is commenting after Corrections CEO Barry Matthews admitted to a parliamentary select committee today that some
prisoners had been able to slip their restraints over their head.
"This seems to be another Corrections bungle.
"These restraints were introduced for a very good reason - to prevent a repeat of the death of Liam Ashley at the hands
of another prisoner in the back of a prison van.
"They were one of this Government's responses to that tragedy, and we were assured they would work.
"Now we find that they've been slipping out of them.
"This has all the makings of another disaster.
"Phil Goff must explain."
ENDS