The Green Party is demanding that Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga stop the lockdown of teenagers for 23 hours a day in Mt Eden Prison and clarify what Corrections has done about the practice since first alerted to it more than a year ago. “The latest Ombudsman’s inspection shows young people on remand were being locked in their cells 23 hours a day at Mt Eden – that is akin to torture,” said Green Party Corrections spokesperson David Clendon. ““It is...

The Green Party is calling on Police Minister Michael Woodhouse to ensure Police scrap controversial contracts that place onerous restrictions on academic researchers’ access to Police data. The Green Party’s call comes following revelations that University of Canterbury sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert has been blacklisted from accessing police data and that other academic researchers have been required to sign contracts that give Police the ability to censor research findings. “This is an absolute outrage – it is as though Police...

The Green Party will be abstaining on the Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Bill.