MP RIDICULES QUESTIONS FOR SURVEY OF JAIL VISITORS

New Zealand First MP Ron Mark wants to know why the Corrections Department
is spending money on surveys asking prison visitors questions such as "have
you ever bought drugs or alcohol into prison?".

He told a select committee yesterday that similar surveys were being given
to inmates.

The Visitor Survey Form states: "We do not know who has filled out this form."

"Like hell," Mr Mark said. He doubted many visitors would take the
assurance seriously given that all visitors' details were collected before
they entered prisons.

The form asks a range of questions such as how often the person visits and
how they travelled to the prison.

But it also asks: "Have you ever been asked to bring drugs, or alcohol or
other unauthorised items into a prison, yes or no?

"Have you ever brought drugs or alcohol or unauthorised items into prison
that you have not told the prison about?"

The form provide a helpful list for visitors to tick including cannabis,
opiates, P and Ecstasy.

Mr Mark said he doubted many visitors would respond.

"Give us a break. This is nonsense. Who are these idiots who sit around
dreaming up questionnaires like this?"

The department's public prison service manager, Phil McCarthy, said:
"You're quite right that the local vice-president of Black Power or the Mob
is not going to answer than truthfully.

"But what we know is that some visitors are intimidated by inmates, and not
necessarily the person they are visiting, into bringing drugs into prison."

Some of those visitors would would want Corrections to know that, he said.

"It will give us some understanding of scale and may help identify inmates."