Hundreds of prisoners are still being put into prolonged solitary confinement — or what New Zealand calls 'directed segregation' — every year, despite the UN calling it a form of psychological torture.
Tupe Masina, who was jailed for five-and-half-years for aggravated robbery, said he spent long stretches in a cell by himself, including one period of 74 days in a row.
"The impact would have been the emotional trauma of being isolated and having no human contact. When I do come out of isolation and am around people, I'm paranoid and anxious. I'm not used to being around people after being in a cave."
He later received a payout from Corrections after his isolation was found to be unjustified.
"I was an emotional wreck. When times get hard, and you're sitting in a cell, there's nothing you can do. You can't just knock on the door and say 'I'm sorry can you let me out now, I'll do what you want me to do!' You can beg all you want, they're not going to let you out."
New data released to Breakfast shows the former prisoner is not alone in his experience.
The data shows more than 3500 prisoners spent longer than 15 days in directed segregation from July 2019 to May 2023. Numbers peaked between July 2021 and June 2022.
Corrections said the high numbers were in part driven by Covid-19 contingencies. While the 2023 data is incomplete, it appears to show a trend down from that spike.
A clinical psychologist who used to work for Corrections said segregation is often one of a number of strategies.
"It's often a last strategy because of the extreme nature, to maintain safety and in many ways order within that prison complex," Armon Tamatea said.
"I guess it sits within a nest of more complex issues as well, including staff shortage and increasing remand in the population as well."
Directed segregation is a practice that has come under fire from experts.
Six years ago, a United Nations report slammed New Zealand's "widespread and concerning" use of solitary confinement in prisons.
Then again in June this year, Correction's chief inspector expressed a "lack of confidence in the current system" and made recommendations to Corrections.
In the report, Janis Adair said "some of the most significant concerns identified include difficulty in accessing reliable data about prisoners who are segregated or unable to associate for any other reason, poor record-keeping, inadequate levels of clinical involvement in placement and ongoing segregation decisions, and the absence of a robust assurance framework for segregated and at-risk prisoners".
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said the use of segregation is under continuous review by Corrections. He also said he is "comfortable an overall review is not needed at this stage".
"Segregation use has increased in recent years, and the reasons are complex. There has been a rise in aggression and violence with gang numbers in prisons also on the up. Mental health issues remain a real concern for prisoners, who can for example be at risk of self-harm. When the Waikeria Prison rebuild is complete a new 100-bed mental health facility will help address these issues."
Tamatea said how prisoners are treated has a flow-on effect.
"People who are in our system don't tend to engender much by way of public sympathy. On the other hand these folk will also be released sooner or later and it's the question we need as a society really — what shape and condition do we want them in when they come out? Imposing a continually punishing regime is not likely to achieve those aims at the end of the day."
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