Assaults in prisons

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Assaults in prisons, whether against frontline staff or other prisoners, are unacceptable. Corrections staff come to work every day to keep New Zealanders safe. They deal with some of New Zealand’s most challenging people, and do an exceptional and brave job in often very difficult circumstances. Prisons can be volatile environments, and many of the prisoners can behave unpredictably and act without warning.

Every assault is taken seriously, and any prisoner who resorts to violence will be held to account. This may be through internal misconduct charges, a change in security classification, or referral to Police for consideration of criminal prosecution.

In recent years we have had an increasing focus on ensuring that all incidents of assault, regardless of whether they result in injury, are recorded.

A number of highly complex factors contribute to violence in prison. Over 80 percent of the prison population have convictions for violence in their offending histories, and it is estimated that 62 percent of the population met the diagnostic criteria for either a mental health or substance use disorder within the last 12 months.

In recent years, there has also been an increase in the proportion of the prisoner population who are gang affiliated, which mirrors growth in gang membership in communities. Gang members are over-represented in acts of disorder and violence in prison, and are known to incite other people in prison to carry out violent acts on behalf of the gangs.

A growing proportion of the prisoner population are on remand, and there is a strong statistical association between remand status and incidents of assault within prison. In addition, a growing proportion of the prisoner population have histories of extensive methamphetamine use which is associated with significant and lasting impacts on mental and emotional functioning, including issues such as anger control.

The reality is the threat of violence is something we cannot eliminate entirely, but we do everything possible to minimise this risk. We have invested significantly in training and tools to keep our staff safe. This includes tactical skills, such as de-escalation, through to the provision of stab resistant body armour, on body cameras and the expanded deployment of pepper spray.

We have also worked with the Corrections Association of New Zealand (CANZ) and the Public Service Association (PSA) to develop the Violence and Aggression Joint Action Plan. The next phase of this plan, called ‘Safer Prisons’ was launched in October 2024 to ensure we are adaptive and responsive to the current challenges and risks of the prison environment.

The Safer Prisons Plan takes the foundation of the Violence and Aggression Joint Action Plan and creates a focused plan to improve safety and wellbeing at our prisons. All prison sites now have individual Safer Prisons Plans to address violence and aggression within the context of their site. These plans are led by the Prison General Manager in consultation with local site union delegates.

Data set of assaults by prisoners – national and by prison

Data for assaults in prisons for the 2025/26 financial year is available to view below. The reported results are provisional and subject to change until the year-end process has been completed.

Corrections classifies assaults under the following definitions:

  • Serious - an act of physical violence that involves one or more of the following:
    • bodily harm requiring medical intervention by medical staff followed by overnight hospitalisation (beyond initial assessment or medical observation) in a medical facility.
    • bodily harm requiring extended periods of on-going medical intervention.
    • sexual assault of any form where Police charges have been laid;
  • Non-serious - an act of physical violence that results in physical injuries that may require medical treatment, and/or overnight hospitalisation as part of initial assessment, or medical observation but not on-going medical treatment (e.g. blood nose, x-ray required, cuts requiring minimal stiches, gouging, or bites);
  • Non-injury - an act of physical violence that does not result in physical injuries or require any form of medical treatment (e.g. kicking, shoving, jostling, striking, or punching that did not result in injury).

Serious assaults represent a small proportion of the total assaults, but our view is that any assault is unacceptable. In recent years, we have placed an increased importance on staff recording prisoner on staff assaults, regardless of whether they result in injury.

Download assaults data: assaults by prisoners data XLSX, 462.2 KB