In the corridor of the At Risk Unit at Arohata Women’s Prison is a cupboard containing several dark-blue denim "strip nighties". They are a generously-sized, simple T-shape, with no buttons or ties.
Prisoners at Arohata are usually allowed to wear their own clothes, so long as they are clean and appropriate, but the At Risk Unit must provide as safe an environment as possible.
"Strip nighties are specially designed for one purpose; prevention of suicide," says Stella Brown, the At Risk Unit Subject Matter Expert.
It’s a tragic fact that New Zealand as a society has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. The Ministry of Health’s New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy 2006 - 2016 states that approximately 500 New Zealanders die by suicide every year; more than the number who die in road traffic crashes.
National Manager Systems and Security Karen Urwin says that prisoners are more likely to have mental disorders and illnesses than the general population, and are therefore more likely to be at risk of suicide.
"Suicide attempts are an unfortunate reality in prisons around the world," she says.
Suicide rates in New Zealand’s prisons have been approximately halved since the late 1990s. In the 2005/2006 year, six people killed themselves in prison.
"The suicide rate in prisons here is quite low compared with similar jurisdictions overseas, but suicide prevention is still a top priority for Corrections here in New Zealand," says Karen.
"Corrections had input into the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy and we’re part of the Interagency Suicide Prevention Committee. We’re currently working with experts to develop an action plan to try to improve the situation."
Stella says that if someone is really determined to end their life, it is very difficult to stop them, but at Arohata Prison, just as at the other 18 prisons around the country, Corrections staff are doing their utmost to help at-risk prisoners and prevent them from harming themselves.
When an offender arrives in prison, trained assessors talk to them and ask them a series of 12 standard questions to try to gauge their mood and likelihood of self-harm - questions such as; "Are your family angry with you?", "Is this your first time in prison?", "Have you ever tried to kill or hurt yourself?", and "Do you want to kill or harm yourself now?".
"They’re often scared. Some are violent. It’s critical to identify their at-risk status," says Stella.
This "at-risk" assessment will be repeated as a prisoner’s status, situation or location changes - for example, if the prisoner is withdrawing from alcohol or drugs, if her behaviour causes concern, or she is segregated for misbehaviour.
As part of their induction process, all new prisoners are strip-searched and their possessions are taken for storage by a receiving officer. They are asked if they have any immediate needs; for example, they may need to organise emergency child-care. Then, a prison nurse does an initial health check.
Stella ensures that the correct procedures are adhered to at all times. She also crossreferences data about prisoners with all the available information, such as Police, Court and other agency reports.
If an assessor decides a prisoner is at risk of self-harm, the unit manager is advised immediately. Only a unit manager has the authority to make the final decision about whether the new prisoner should go through to the main part of the prison or stay in the At Risk Unit after consultation with experts such as the nurses and forensic psychiatric services.
Once the unit manager has decided that a prisoner is to stay in the At Risk Unit, they are placed into an observation cell and checked, for the first 24 hours, every 15 minutes. However, if the situation warrants it, observation will be continuous.
Stella says the At Risk Unit officers have experienced all sorts of different behaviours.
"Staff here have seen women who hear voices, women with forensic needs who smear excrement all over themselves and their cell, women received with their wrists cut, attempted hangings and women crying for their children," she says.
Each cell in the At Risk Unit has a smooth concrete ledge used for a bed, with a plastic covered mattress on it. There is a stainless steel toilet and an in-built light and security camera. A solid, barrel-shaped stool is bolted to the floor. The window is narrow, the safety glass backed by a metal grill.
The cell may look cheerless, compared to ordinary cells where prisoners have put up posters, pictures drawn by their children and feather-fringed dream-catchers, but as Stella says;
"Everything in the At Risk Unit is geared around keeping the prisoners safe."
The Interagency Suicide Prevention Committee was formed in the wake of the publication of the The Ministry of Health’s New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy 2006 - 2016.
The Committee is a group of representatives from various government agencies and departments who meet monthly to discuss progress on the implementation of the Strategy and ensure that policies and processes throughout government are consistent and mutually supportive.
Corrections has two representatives on the Committee - Senior Project Officer National Systems and Security Helen Green and Assistant General Manager Women’s and Specialist Services Bridget White.
Helen says that the Committee is currently working on an action plan to detail exactly how the Strategy will be made to work in practice.
"For example, one component of the action plan is the setting up of a suicide bereavement support service," she says.
The Committee aim to launch the full action plan in mid-2007.
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ISSN 1178-8453