Human rights in NZ prisons

Prisoners have the right to be treated with humanity, dignity and respect while in prison, therefore there are a number of human rights standards in place to ensure safe detention.

Domestic human rights standards

International human rights standards

If a prisoner believes their human rights have not been respected, or one of the above standards has been breached, they can complain. If a prisoner wishes to make a complaint, they can follow this process:

When a prisoner or someone on behalf of the prisoner formally draws attention to any action which the complainant wishes to have investigated or reviewed, Correction’s employees are guided by the Prison Operations Manual, which helps employees with the day-to-day activities of managing a prison:

Contract managed prisons

There is currently one contract managed prison in New Zealand: Auckland South Corrections Facility. The Chief Executive of Corrections retains ultimate responsibility for prisoners and is provided with regular reports from the prison monitor on the contractor’s performance. Find out more about contract managed prisons: