A British firm about to run a New Zealand prison has been found to have the poorest record of self-harm in Scottish jails.
Serco last week signed a contract to manage Auckland Central Remand Prison at Mt Eden for at least the next six years.
The company also runs Kilmarnock Prison in Scotland, which has been found to have the highest number of inmates deliberately injuring themselves since 2004.
Figures released by Scotland's Liberal Democrat party show a total of 280 incidents of self-harming at Kilmarnock Prison during the past six years.
Serco is attributing the high number to what it describes as very strict reporting requirements.
But Green Party corrections spokesperson David Clendon says the statistics should be deeply worrying for New Zealand.
Serco has valued the contract to manage Auckland Central Remand Prison at Mt Eden at $300 million.
The contract has not yet been made public but is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon.
A handover from public to private management is underway and will be completed by August.
