A lawyer for most of the clients currently being kept in New Zealand's only extreme-threat prison unit says the Corrections department wants to change the law to allow human rights abuses to continue.
There are currently 14 inmates in Auckland Prison's Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit - also referred to as PERU - which was established in 2019, including the Christchurch mosque terrorist.
A recent investigation by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier revealed concerns about human rights abuses, a lack of transparency over how inmates came to be classified as extreme risk, and other record-keeping issues such as scrubbed body-worn camera footage.
Corrections has since released a consultation document, as it seeks to improve how it classifies and manages these prisoners.
But Amanda Hill who represents the majority of the inmates, says the proposals only seek to legalise currently unlawful actions.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
