For those that did not see it, this article from the Fairfax papers in the weekend is well worth a read. It explores our appalling imprisonment rate, including some statistics where we dont stack up well at all
New Zealand locks up people at a rate of 199 per 100,000. The European average is about 80. Even Australia, our convict cousin, jails a third less than we do, according to figures from the International Centre for Prison Studies.
As I have said before on this blog, we have to get beyond the response that building more prisons is the answer to preventing crime. Of course keeping the likes of Graeme Burton off the streets is important, but that is not going to deal with the overall issue. I like my colleague Lianne Dalziel’s comment in the article that the basis of questioning around these issues should be “what makes our communities safer”. Continuing to lock people up without addressing the reasons behind how they got to be there will not make our communities safer.
Most would accept that crime is the result of addictions, mental ill-health, a bad start in life, poverty and other social factors, rather than because people are inherently evil, she says. So these are the issues we should be targeting with preventative and rehabilitative measures
There is optimism from those quoted in this article that more people are now prepared to look at the drivers of crime and get beyond the empty slogans and dangerous rhetoric of the Sensible Sentencing Trust/David Garrett types. I hope that is true because another election fought around who can throw out the toughest slogans is not what we need as a country. As Greg Newbold says in the article we need to start thinking in terms of 25 year goals to change a culture of violence, rather than in three year political cycles.
As politicians we have a job to come up with better policies, and that is something Labour is working on, but I also think the time has come for a broad based community grouping that can promote the importance of the long term approach to addressing the causes of crime and breaking the cycle. I for one would help that group in any way I can.
Posted in Greg Newbold, Lianne Dalziel, Law and Order and Justice. |
It looks like funding for the Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Society is a goner. There is a story in the Dominion Post today that PARS will lose its $2.5 million contract.
This is a tragedy. PARS play a vital role in helping prisoners re-integrate into the community. For well over a hundred years they have helped with accomodation, facilitating job opportunities, and perhaps more than anything else, just being there for people who many in society want to ignore. They perform roles that busy probation officers simply can not do.
As Clayton Cosgrove notes in the article, the community will be less safe as a result of the funding being cut as people released from prison will lack the support to stop them from re-offending.
There are reports of concerns about some financial management issues. The work PARS does is important enough the the Minister and the Department of Corrections need to actively intervene to ensure it survives.
The overall issue of incarceration and rehabilitation in New Zealand needs attention. In the meantime, no matter what we might think of some prisoners, most people in New Zealand prisons will at some point re-enter society. Surely the key task while they are in prison, and immediately on their release is to work with them to make sure we do all we can to prevent further crimes being committed, and to help them find a path to meaningful and positive future. This is what PARS does, and the government needs to help them keep doing it.
Posted in Law & Order and Justice. |
The dispute around the payment of Court staff is becoming increasingly concerning. This story in the Nelson Mail during the week highlights the real concern that a settlement is needed.
A packed courtroom erupted with anger and frustration as Nelson court staff walked off the job again yesterday. Security fears have been raised over the strength of anger in the public gallery, with one lawyer urging the court to lift security in the event of future walk-outs.
Clearly many people in Court, both the accused and victims, will be in a high state of emotional stress, and it seems some of them vented their concern. In addition cases are being delayed as the dispute has been going on for months.
It is interesting in a series of articles in the Nelson Mail on this issue, and backed by my discussions with lawyers, they have a great deal of sympathy for the case of the Court workers. They do a number of very important jobs that allow our judicial system to operate. They are not well paid, with many earning around $30,000 mark. Overall they are paid 7% lower than the public service median for their job type.
My understanding is that the claim with the Ministry of Justice is a modest one. It does include putting in place salary scales, with pay steps so employees can see the potential for some progression on the basis of satisfactory performance. This is a regular feature of collecitve contracts, and does not seem unreasonable.
While the negotiating is not done by Ministers, it is time for the Minister of Courts and the Minister of Justice to show some leadership, and work with the Justice Ministry to resolve this case. A big part of the problem is that the Justice Ministry is bound by the de-facto pay freeze being imposed by the government. But this sutations is now getting serious. Too many cases are now been held up, and it is clear that tensions are rising.
Posted in Justice, Protest and Public Services. |
Parliament has just passed into law a bill that will allow for the establishment of private prisons in New Zealand. Labour has strongly opposed this bill on the grounds of both principle and practice. We believe that the act of taking away someone’s liberty and freedom is one of the most invasive state responsibilities, and as such needs to be handled as a core state role. Public prisons have a moral accountable to taxpayers to support community safety and to rehabilitate, private prisons have an accountability to their shareholders to make a profit. If National really believe that prisons should be run by the private sector, why not the defence force and the police too?
In practice the evidence from around the world is that private prisons have not been more cost effective, and have most certainly not delivered in terms of safety or accountability. When National last was in government the Auckland Central Remand Prison was run by a company with a dubious history in private prisons. The result was in fact more costly, and staff on the ground reported that corners were cut. Practical examples of shortcomings in private prisons from the US, Australia, the UK and Canada have been ignored by National in their headlong rush to drive their privatisation ideology.
As an aside National MPs in the debate showed very little enthusiasm, and did not even take all their speaking slots. They failed to put up any evidence to support the privatisation argument. Sandra Goudie the Select Committee Chair for the Bill said they just wanted to “give it a go”. Sigh. In contrast Dr Pita Sharples gave two very good speeches about the need for more innovative, early intervention approaches. But there is no reason that these approaches have to translate to private management.
For me, the bottom line is that New Zealand has far too many people in prison- one of the worst incarceration rates in the western world. What we need to do is focus on people not getting to prison in the first place. But if we are to have prisons we need them to be publicly controlled to ensure safety and accountability.
Posted in Justice and Private Prisons. |
