Two new units at Rimutaka Prison provided extra capacity for prisoners with highmedium security classifications when they opened recently.
The new units were blessed in January by Kaumatua from Orongomai Marae, Tangata Whenua, representatives of iwi Te Atiawa and the Prison’s Chaplains.
Each unit holds up to 60 prisoners, and has an activities room and an additional exercise yard that are not present in the olderstyle units at Rimutaka, known as the pods.
“The units follow the same basic design as the older pods, but the small exercise yard is a great addition as prisoners not taking part in the unit’s fitness programme can still get outdoors for exercise,” says Unit Manager Miriam Letoa.
The unit’s fitness programme runs four mornings a week and other programmes are swinging into action, she says. These include literacy and numeracy programmes, and the National Certificate in Employment Skills. An art class will start up soon.
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ISSN 1178-8453