Surveys show justice reform has backing

Kiwis trust the police to do a good job but have less confidence in prisons and courts, according to Ministry of Justice studies.

Two new reports reveal New Zealanders want to see change in the justice sector and support a funded, victim-centric approach.

When it comes to crime, the reports show the public is divided in their views of whether crime is a choice but believe offenders can go on to lead productive lives with the right support.

In 2018, the Government established the Ha¯paitia te Oranga Tangata – Safe and Effective Justice initiative to guide a transformation of the criminal justice system.

Ministry of Justice sector deputy secretary Tim Hampton said the results of the Social Wellbeing and Perceptions of the Criminal Justice System survey and the Ha¯paitia Te Oranga Tangata survey would be used to shed light on potential improvements to the system.

The surveys found there was an appetite for reform and that respondents perceived that victims’ interests should be at the heart.

‘‘Last year out of every $100 spent in the criminal justice system, 50 cents was spent on supporting victims. What we see in these reports is a strong theme that we need to do more than that,’’ Hampton said.

Another issue raised was that most New Zealanders believed the police and groups that supported victims were doing a good job, and they had a high level of trust in them.

However, they have lesspositive views of the other components of the criminal justice system – judges, juries, probation officers, criminal lawyers and the prison service.

‘‘This trust decreases when it comes to courts and Corrections,

which is consistent with previous New Zealand and international studies,’’ Hampton said.

Ma¯ ori had less confidence in the system.

Pacific peoples and Indian New Zealanders were more concerned about being the victim of a crime than other New Zealand adults, while Ma¯ ori and Pacific peoples were less likely to agree that New Zealanders were treated fairly by the police, he said.

Ma¯ori, Chinese and Pacific adults were all less likely to feel that their values aligned with the criminal justice system than other adults.

Chief victims adviser to the Government Dr Kim McGregor said she was happy the public wanted to see more investment to support victims and put them at the centre of the criminal justice system, where they were often sidelined.

‘‘We really need investment in training all personnel across the criminal justice system who are working with victims.’’

The surveys were a good start but apart from them, there was no other monitoring and evaluation of cases, McGregor said.

The survey data must be used but the difficulty lay in the adversarial system, she said.

Justice Minister Andrew Little said the Government had made a start in reforming the broken criminal justice system but there was more to do and the reports would provide a valuable insight into the ongoing direction for change.

‘‘Last year out of every $100 spent in the criminal justice system, 50 cents was spent on supporting victims.’’

Tim Hampton Ministry of Justice