NEW ZEALAND – Prisoners in New Zealand jails will be having less fruit in their daily diets. In fact, they will be limited to three pieces of fruit a day after it was discovered that a major jailhouse riot was triggered by inmates drunk on home-brewed alcohol. Officials reported this week that those responsible for Spring Hill prison’s massive brawl in June had consumed a potent cocktail of fermented fruit mixed with alcohol based hand sanitizer.
Officials say the 10-hour riot was the worst in 15 years, during which inmates used sporting equipment as weapons, broke into staff areas and set fire to cell blocks. Twenty-three prisoners are facing chargers.
According to Chief executive Ray Smith, Corrections has removed alcohol-based sanitizers from all prison and intends to limit the amount of fruit inmates can stockpile: “We’re saying you can buy seven pieces of fruit in a week, not an unlimited supply of fruit. So that means that prisoners can have three pieces of fruit a day. That won’t solve the issue altogether but it will reduce the risk of people being able to accumulate fruit.”
Inmates are given two pieces of fruit a day.
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