How long must one pay for misdeeds of youth?

AS we get older, there are not many of us who think the same way we did as youngsters.

In fact, we might sometimes look back at the way we acted, or at some of the things we said, and die a thousand deaths.

If a person is silly enough to get in trouble with the law, there can be more long-lasting effects.

Kala Alexander could well be one of those people.

In today’s Sunday News (page 6) we bring you the story of the 45-year-old surfing great.

Alexander is scheduled to visit these shores next month to take part in the Ultimate Waterman event. But he has got an anxious wait to see whether Immigration will allow him into the country to compete. That’s because, back in the early 1990s, Alexander received a prison term for assault.

And fair enough you might say. But what makes Alexander’s case a little different is he has spent years working to turn his life around.

As we report today, Alexander has helped over 1000 sick kids and says he does not drink or go partying. He says his assault conviction came at a bad time when he was carrying a lot of anger.

Though it is not our place to argue the rights or wrongs of Alexander’s prison sentence, his story does raise the question of how long a person must spend atoning for past misdeeds.

While Alexander’s is an extreme example, many people who did something foolish when they were younger go through life experiencing mild anxiety at certain times.

Clean Slate legislation, introduced in 2004, allows – under certain criteria – for past offending not to be revealed. That does not mean, however, people with convictions don’t often hesitate over job applications or have their record lurking in the back of their mind when they travel overseas.

Hopefully, Alexander will get a fair go from the authorities weighing up his application to come to New Zealand. People’s histories should be looked at as a whole, and recognition given for their ability to change.