Paremoremo Prison

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Auckland Prison is a prison facility consisting of medium security and maximum security compounds in Paremoremo, Auckland, New Zealand. The two compounds are separate but located close together in a rural area.The prison contains New Zealand's only specialist maximum-security unit, housing some of the most severe criminals in the country. Its old names of 'Paremoremo' and 'Pare' are still well-known and used throughout New Zealand.OrganisationFacilitiesAuckland Prison includes the medium-security Auckland West division, built in 1981 to relieve crowding at other institutions, particularly at Mount Eden Prison; a minimum security work and pre-release unit called Te Mahinga; and a 60-bed special treatment unit for child sex offenders, called Te Piriti. The prison holds about 650 prisoners.Within the maximum security prison, the section (formerly) referred to as 'D Block' has a particularly harsh reputation. Conditions in it are very restrictive, and there are around three prison officers per inmate of the block.SecuritySecurity was upgraded significantly during the 1990s and 2000s. Rev David Connor, the prison chaplain, noted that when he moved to Paremoremo in 1984, a chain-link fence around the medium-security block was all that was required. In 2010, however, the maximum security part of the prison, East Division, is surrounded by a highly secure perimeter fence covered in razor wire. Razor wire is also laid between the unit and the fence. East Wing has only one point of entry which has a highly sensitive scanner which every person must pass through.Anyone carrying items into East Division is required to bring them through in a clear plastic bag. Every person entering is also liable to be searched. East Division has a centralised CCTV system, with cameras monitored from the control room in the centre of the wing at all times. All cells are made of solid concrete and have bars on the windows. All exercise yards are enclosed. There is also a higher staff/prisoner ratio in east block than in other units.