A former inmate says he was punched by gang members within minutes of entering Spring Hill prison for refusing to hand over his nicotine lozenges which are used as currency at our smoke-free prisons.
The man has spent the last five weeks in three different prisons, and says violence and stand-over tactics over nicotine replacement products is getting worse and Corrections staff are turning a blind eye to the issue.
Newshub has agreed not to identify the man, but have verified he recently left prison.
He's a smoker of 20 years and was issued with a box of Habitrol nicotine replacement lozenges on arrival at Spring Hill in Waikato.
"There was a group of people standing at the gate, gang members. I was immediately stood over for my box. I refused to give it at first and I was punched in the face."
He did raise it in confidence with staff, but says nothing happened.
"I got told by staff, 'hey, it is what it is, it happens all the time'," he says.
"Over my time in Spring Hill, about four-and-a-half weeks, there were seven fights and six of them were over lozenges."
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He said it was the same at Mt Eden Remand and Christchurch Men's Prison.
He says he then had to buy the lozenges back off the gang. If you don't have money to pay them, he says they'll take your food and make you go hungry.
"I ended up getting family on the outside to put money through to get the bill paid."
If a prisoner can't pay, he says they're often told to get family to pay a gang member on the outside. If that can't be done, the prisoner risks being beaten.
"It's getting worse - 80 to 90 percent of the violence in prisons is because of the lozenges," the man says.
You can buy a range of items at the prison canteen, mostly food and hygeine products. But you cannot buy nicotine replacement products like you can in Australian jails. Inmates get one box - and that's it.
"I should be able to go in there and be safe - not have to have violence bestowed on me."
The man says he'd like to see such products made available for purchase at prison canteens, which would help prevent gangs profiting from trading them as a highly sought-after commodity.
Corrections Chief Custodial Officer, Neil Beales, told Newshub he did not dispute that standover tactics happen over nicotine lozenges as some inmates "go to great lengths" to continue offending while in prison.
He said Corrections is committed to the safe and legal management of medications for the people in prison.
He said all stand-over incidents will be treated seriously.
"People in prison are encouraged to report all incidents of intimidation or stand-over tactics to staff or, if they wish, they can raise the matter with the Prison Inspectorate, the Ombudsman or their own legal representative."
Beales said Corrections was also concerned to hear that staff could be telling prisoners of new arrivals who will have lozenges with them.
"This type of behaviour is not acceptable, and when we are made aware of such behaviour, we will take the appropriate action."
