Splitting Cells

“New Zealand has found a cheap and quick way to build its prisons by converting used shipping containers into cells to deal with a record high number of inmates,” writes Philippa McDonald for the ABC News. Though the 12m-long container cells have courted controversy, with prisoner advocate Peter Williams QC from the Howard League for Penal Reform saying the innovation is “not designed for human beings”, corrections minister Judith Collins argues the container cells have averted a beds crisis in the country’s jails. “They are actually prison cells at the end of the day; they are not a holiday camp … but they are very humane,” Collins says. The containers have been converted into three cells, each accommodating two men. Container cells, expected to cost up to $63, per bed in an existing prison, were half the cost of permanent cell blocks. Resource consent requirements mean they could be in use by 211 at the earliest. New Zealand is anticipating it will have around another 2 prisoners to accommodate over the next 1 years.