Corrections has admitted it could be in for a hefty compensation bill, over the treatment of women in its custody.
Minister Kelvin Davis has ordered an urgent overhaul and review of women's prisons following the sentencing of Mihi Bassett for an arson at Auckland Region Women's Prison in 2019.
Her treatment alongside three other inmates has been described as inhumane by a district court judge.
The judge didn't add any extra time to her sentence - ruling that she'd already suffered enough.
The chief prison inspector has investigated and Davis is not happy with what he's read.
Both he and the Department of Corrections have apologised to the women.
