The below is a joint-statement which can be attributed to JustSpeak and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand
following more people testing positive in Auckland Mt Eden Corrections Facility.
People in prison have their liberty restricted making them a vulnerable population. Because of these restrictions,
people in prison do not have the same autonomy to protect themselves against COVID-19. Due to the communal nature of
prisons, people within these facilities are particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19.
The responsibility to care for people in prison falls on the agencies restricting their liberty, and the Ministers
responsible for those agencies.
We wrote to the Minister of Corrections in August asking for an update and highlighting the importance of taking
proactive measures to protect people in prison, including priority access to vaccinations. We remind the Government of
its duties under international and domestic human rights law; people in prison deserve dignity and care, including
access to health care and, PPE equipment when needed, and crucially right now vaccinations. Recognising it’s a stressful
and anxious time for many people, it’s important requests for medical attention, including mental health support, are
attended to immediately. We expect proactive measures are being undertaken to pre-emptively assess and mitigate risk for
both those who live and work in these facilities.
Investing in measures that uphold the dignity and wellbeing of people in prison is vital to ensuring we all get through
this together and do not allow prisons to become hubs of infection that cause further outbreaks within our communities.