Double bunking in prisons

Corrections takes its duty to safely manage individuals in custody extremely seriously. Double bunking has been a long-standing practice in the New Zealand prison system.

Corrections has a range of policies, processes, and tools in place to identify and mitigate any safety concerns about double bunking. In particular, Corrections staff use a comprehensive assessment tool, the Shared Accommodation Cell Risk Assessment (SACRA), to review the compatibility of individuals before they are placed in a shared cell. The SACRA does not replace staff judgement but is an important additional tool to help inform their decision-making and minimise any potential risk.

The SACRA report identifies key risk factors to consider before placing a prisoner in a shared cell. The assessment captures a range of information about the person, including their age, security classification, offending history, history of imprisonment, gang affiliation, notable physical characteristics, mental health concerns and any other needs.

If a person is deemed not suitable to double bunk, a NTDB (Not to Double Bunk) alert is activated on their IOMS (Integrated Offender Management System) profile. The NTDB alert includes the reason/s why the person is not suitable for shared cell accommodation and a person assessed as not suitable to be double bunked will be placed in a single accommodation cell.

Data set for double bunking – national and by prison

Quarterly statistics for double bunking in prisons are available to view below. The data provided is as at 31 March 2025 and is subject to change until the full year process has been completed.

Download double bunking data XLSX, 447.1 KB