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**Parihaka** · 01-16-2006, 19:31 PM

Quote:

Prison jobs open to crims
16 January 2006
By CHALPAT SONTI

Convicted criminals are being considered for jobs as prison guards as the Corrections Department struggles to attract recruits.

The department needs to find 1800 guards – mainly to staff new prisons – in the next four years, including 600 in the next year.

But a move to allow applications from people with minor convictions – which the department says it has always had discretion to do – has been criticised by the guards' union. The Corrections Association says hiring people with criminal records will open the department up to a stack of personal grievance claims.

Corrections considering people with convictions for jobs comes at the same time as a new law bites to remove such people from commercial driving roles. The Land Transport Amendment Act, which takes effect from today, means hundreds of bus and taxi drivers will lose their passenger transport licences because they have in the past – some up to 40 years ago – been convicted of sex crimes punishable by up to seven years prison.

Anyone previously wanting to become a prison guard must have had no criminal convictions in the past 10 years and needed to pass several selection tests.

The association, which represents most of the 2800 guards employed in New Zealand jails, says the selection criteria has been allowed to slip.

President Beven Hanlon said the move would be "disappointing" and could lead to more guards being sacked, more personal grievance claims against the department and its "army" of human resources staff, and lead to further waste of money. His comments followed figures made public by National Party law and order spokesman Simon Power, which showed 13 guards were sacked in the past year.

Four were fired for not turning up to work and one for facing criminal charges.

Mr Hanlon said many others were told by the union to resign before they were sacked.

Fourteen guards lodged personal grievances against the department, of which five received payouts of up to $3000. A list supplied to Mr Power does not state what the payouts were for, though four were for "unjustified action" and the other was because of "disparity of treatment".

A Corrections spokeswoman said any staff sacked because of their own actions were only entitled to receive outstanding pay and holiday pay.

Mr Hanlon said though the number of personal grievance payouts seemed few, the department had to make several more payouts after mediation.

More sackings and personal grievance claims were likely since entry standards were relaxed, Mr Hanlon said.

"It'll lead to more taxpayer money going down the drain to fix something that shouldn't have happened in the first place".

Selection tests had also become easier to pass. Previously, prospective guards who failed a test had to wait a year before being allowed to re-sit. Now they could immediately re-sit the parts of the test they had failed, and receive tuition from the department in how to pass.

The department spokeswoman said the entry criteria for guards had not changed. Each application was considered on its merits. However, violent or drug-related offending – or convictions carrying a custodial sentence – automatically disqualified an applicant.