Protestors who allegedly chained themselves to a Hamilton Corrections office, from front: Ti Lamusse, Sophie Morgan, Max Whitehurst, and Jeremy Roundill.

Protesters who allegedly chained themselves to the Hamilton Department of Corrections office over treatment of a transgender prisoner have been arrested.

They forced police to evacuate the staff from the Rostrevor St building.

The group will be charged with trespass, Senior Sergeant Dean Anderson of Waikato police said.

DOMINICO ZAPATA/FAIRFAX NZ Police have stationed themselves outside the building on Rostrevor St.

"They will be bailed and will appear at the Hamilton District Court on those charges."

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Ti Lamusse, an Auckland University student, told a reporter that occupying the office was a last resort.

"We are protesting the rights of a transgender woman at Springhill Correctional Facility who's been in solitary confinement for a month," Lamusse claimed.

"This woman is being held in there against her will. She's in an all-male prison and staff have told her that it's for her own safety but it's doing more harm than good."

Lamusse said they are concerned for the prisoner's mental health and well-being.

"We will stay here as long as it takes for someone to listen ... and let her out."

Waikato police Senior Sergeant Ray Malcolmson said police were taking a "low key" approach to the protest.

He said police were made aware four people had somehow managed to get inside the Department of Corrections offices on Rostrevor St on Tuesday morning.

They chained themselves to a desk on the first floor.

He said three officers were stationed at the entrance. "They are just there to ensure no others join them."

Malcolmson was unsure how the foursome got into the building.

"The department has their own liaison."He said everything appeared to be "peaceful".

Lamusse is researching people's experiences of incarceration and is also the spokesperson for No Pride in Prisons - a queer and trans activist group fighting to abolish prisons.

"The main issue is that she was put into solitary for her safety because she was being harassed. But the problem is, is that she's so isolated from other prisoners it's a serious threat to her safety.

"She's feeling extremely isolated - her mental health has deteriorated. She's had times when she hasn't been out of her cell for a whole weekend, so it's not just 24 hours. She spent an entire weekend in her cell, completely cut off from everyone else.

"She's not allowed to mingle, she's let out by herself, no contact with anyone other than the guards.

"She has been harassed in the past, but instead of dealing with the alleged perpetrators, they've kind of effectively put her in a punishment cell. It's an incredibly backwards way of dealing with a problem."

However, Corrections Central Regional Commissioner Terry Buffery said solitary confinement is not practised in New Zealand prisons.

"It is not correct that this transgender prisoner is subject to solitary confinement ... she is on a regime of protective directed segregation for her own safety," Buffery said.

"She is particularly vulnerable and is being closely managed for her own care and protection, with appropriate professional health care and support.

Buffery said the prisoner was unable to mix with other prisoners because she had a history of "making false allegations against other prisoners and staff".

"She is receiving all her minimum entitlements and on most days she has more than this. She is also allowed to make telephone calls to approved numbers. She is currently able to spend an hour on the phone each day, which is significantly more than most prisoners. She is entitled to receive visitors regularly, and interacts with staff."

Corrections is undertaking a comprehensive programme of work to help support transgender prisoners, Buffery said.

"[Corrections] has a duty of care to all prisoners and works to ensure every prisoner is placed in a safe environment."

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