Inside the Wire

Gripping true-life stories from a career spent inside New Zealand prisons.

Rhonda Hapi-Smith has walked among some of New Zealand’s most dangerous criminals. As a female prison officer and member of the Riot Squad, she met and worked with thieves, addicts, gangsters, murderers and sex offenders for nearly twenty years in men’s prisons around the country.

Operating within the unspoken set of codes, Rhonda built a reputation for herself as fair but firm. She dealt with everything from mass riots and inter-gang hits to attempted escapes, suicides, and segregated ‘maxi’ detainees.

But alongside the twisted and the downright terrifying, Rhonda shares stories of unlikely friendships, ingenious prison innovations, and moments of hilarity with some of the best people she’s ever known. When you walk inside the wire you leave behind the ordinary world. Put your game face on and here we go!

Author Biography

Rhonda Hapi-Smith followed her father and siblings into the prison service at the age of 30 and worked for 20 years as a prison officer, Control and Restraint Instructor, and member of the Riot Squad at Hawkes Bay Regional (Mangaroa) Prison. In her later career she transferred to Rimutaka Prison and worked among some of New Zealand’s most dangerous inmates before leaving Corrections in 2017. Many times as she walked the prison floors, she was writing this book in her head.