'If I hadn't been a prison officer, I could have been the head of a gang.'
So says Rhonda Hāpi-Smith, a former prison officer who has walked among some of New Zealand's most dangerous criminals.
She worked for nearly 20 years across two prisons: Rimutaka, north of Wellington, and Mangaroa in Hawke's Bay.
Rhonda built a reputation as someone fair but firm and tells the stories of her time inside, including dealing with mass riots, inter-gang hits, escape attempts and other difficult moments.
Her memoir Inside the Wire was published by HarperCollins last month.
She says the best prison officers are those who can make decisions when it's not always black and white as to what the right thing to do is. She talks to Kathryn about why she wanted to tell her story.
Photo: Supplied by publisher
