To the Department of Corrections ■ Individual prisons and the Department more widely need to ensure that At Risk units are not merely another form of segregation. Prisoners in these units should be offered some form of a daily regime, and health staff should be more involved with prisoners in the units, and work with them to address the issues which resulted in their placement at the unit. ■ E fforts to prevent self harm should include assurance that cells are safe and free of ligature points. We observed unsafe cells with broken fittings which could be used for self harm and potential ligature points in At Risk units. This was unacceptable. As well as ensuring that the physical environment is safe, efforts should also include offering those considered to be at risk an individualised programme of treatment and support. ■ T  he Corrections Act allows for basic regime provisions, for example education, visits, and telephone calls, to be denied to people serving a disciplinary punishment.53 This runs contrary to international human rights law and should be amended. Basic provisions must always be provided. ■ In my view, restraint beds are inherently degrading, and there is no justification for their continued use in prison settings. This extreme form of restraint should be removed from the menu of options available in prisons, just as it has been in health and disability settings. ■ M  ental health staff should engage more closely with segregated prisoners, and ensure that these prisoners are closely monitored for signs of deterioration (cf. Mandela Rule 46, requiring health staff to pay particular attention to the health needs of segregated prisoners). ■ A  ll prison staff working in Management units, At Risk units and any other unit where prisoners are segregated, should receive regular mental health awareness training. This will help them to recognise warning signs of distress and deteriorating mental health of segregated prisoners, and to better manage prisoners who are experiencing such difficulties. ■ P  rison managers should consider the introduction of food serveries in Management and Separates units, and enabling prisoners to leave their cell to collect their food tray from the servery. This will allow the prisoner 53 Department of Corrections, Prison Operations Manual, section F.O1.02 Prisoners denied minimum entitlements. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-Manual/ Prisoner-finance-activities/F.html 61