Justice reform panel pays visit
The man tasked with spearheading a review of New Zealand’s criminal justice system has a stark admission.
‘‘The big consensus is that everyone believes the system is broken,’’ says former MP Chester Borrows.
Borrows chairs the Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group/Te Uepu¯ Ha¯ pai i te Ora, and he and nine other panel members are making their way around the country, canvassing views on all things related to law and order.
Along with victim advocate Ruth Money and sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert, who has written extensively about gang culture, Borrows spoke with about 30 people at a drop-in session held at New Plymouth’s library yesterday morning. Another gathering was held in the afternoon in Stratford.
The roundtable discussions, which were not open to the media in order to protect the confidentiality of those involved, were designed to get feedback about what people thought of the criminal justice system as well as ideas about how it could be improved.
While there was widespread agreement that the system was not working, Borrows said one of the themes already coming through was the role communities could play in developing initiatives that meet their own specific needs.
‘‘It works best when it’s done in the community, by the community.’’
He highlighted a project in Te Kuiti, which had helped about 1000 residents get their driver’s licence.
Borrows said it was borne out of a problem of people in the town being pinged by police for not having a licence. They would then cop a fine but with no means to pay, ended up in court.
Some other issues raised to date included concerns about the length of prison sentences, the lack of access remand prisoners had to programmes and doublebunking in cells, he said.
Borrows said it would ultimately come down to political support whether or not the major changes needed to overhaul the system would get the green light.
A snapshot of NZ’s justice system
There are around 220 people in prison per 100,000 New Zealanders, compared to the OECD average of around 147 prisoners per 100,000 people.
Tangata whenua are overrepresented at every stage in the criminal justice system. Despite Ma¯ori making up 15 per cent of the New Zealand population, they represent 42 per cent of those convicted and 50 per cent of prison inmates.
About 60 per cent of offenders are reconvicted within two years of getting out of prison.
Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group/Te Uepu¯ Ha¯pai i te Ora
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