A special “prison within a prison” is guarding the Christchurch mosque shooter and two other notoriously violent criminals at a huge cost to the taxpayer.
The facility, known as the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit, was set up four months after Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 worshipers and injured 40 others at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques.
Based within Auckland Prison but run separately, the unit is the operational and custodial function of the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Directorate – a group also established in response to the March 15 terror attack.
Its role has since been expanded and Corrections National Commissioner Rachel Leota says it now manages other inmates who present “an ongoing risk of serious violence”.
It also supervises prisoners who have the ability to “influence others to engage in serious violence or threats”.
