Jeremy Lightfoot, Director General of Corrections
Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski

Corrections is apologizing to its staff after a review found sexual harassment took place and those who spoke out were left disappointed.

The department said it fell far short of its own standards in how it handled the problem.

An independent review was set up last year. It was carried out by EY although the business consultancy recently undertook a study. bullying and sexual harassment in their own workplaces.

The review of the corrections system focused on how it could strengthen its approach to preventing and responding to sexual harassment across the organization.

The findings were released Tuesday and Corrections accepted its six recommendations.

“We have a duty to ensure everyone feels safe and is safe at work,” said chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot.

“Any form of sexual harassment is unacceptable and has no place in corrections. I am incredibly sorry to those who have experienced this behavior within our organization and to those who have spoken out and been disappointed .”

It took incredible courage for people to share their experiences about certain behaviors, said deputy executive director Pae Ora and co-sponsor of the independent study into sexual harassment Juanita Ryan.

“The behaviors described in the study fall far below the standards we expect of ourselves.

“It is important that we reflect on what was said in the review and decide to do better.”

The findings

The review found that unacceptable and illegal behavior had occurred.

Nineteen per cent of staff took part in a survey as part of the review, and a quarter of them said they had experienced sexual harassment from another member of corrections staff.

The review also found that staff did not consider sexual harassment complaints to be handled well and those who had experienced sexual harassment did not feel supported.

“We must do better. Corrections employs more than 10,000 people and every one of them deserves a safe working environment. As an organization, we must have zero tolerance for any form of sexual harassment, ensuring that that people feel safe and supported to speak out, and ensure that inappropriate and illegal behavior is held accountable,” Lightfoot said.

Recommendations

This includes developing and implementing an organization-wide culture change program, defining sexual harassment and how to respond to it and support those affected, and implementing establish effective processes to report and respond to unwanted and illegal behavior.

Corrections has accepted all six recommendations and is currently establishing a task force to implement them.

To ensure accountability for progress, the Department of Corrections will report quarterly to staff and the public on this work.

Immediate movements include:

• Ensure consistent processes where people feel safe to report behavior, raise concerns and speak up, and that staff are aware of these processes
• Ensure processes are in place to investigate and address allegations of sexual harassment
• Provide education and training to staff, including additional guidance for managers on how to handle disclosures of sexual harassment

Lightfoot acknowledged that the review’s findings could be “conflicting and upsetting” for some staff members. He encouraged them to seek support from the welfare team within Corrections or the Employee Assistance Program.