Prison contractor sacked

A review is under way at Corrections amid allegations a contractor was caught engaging in an ‘‘inappropriate relationship’’ with an inmate. Corrections southern regional commissioner Ben Clark confirmed allegations had recently come to light regarding the inmate’s relationship with a staff member from one of its contracted service providers at Christchurch Men’s Prison. ‘‘We took immediate steps to notify the contracted provider. The staff member from the contracted provider has been issued an exclusion notice, which bans them from entering the site.’’ The alleged behaviour was ‘‘unacceptable’’, Clark said. ‘‘We demand a high standard of conduct from all contracted providers, volunteers and staff, and expect any person working at our prisons to follow rules that are in place to protect everyone. This is a serious breach of those rules.’’