ISSUE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 72
New Zealand First continues to be concerned about the failure of measures now in place to reduce the number of prisoners who re-offend.
Despite huge spending in an attempt at rehabilitation and getting former prisoners to end their bad habits nothing appears to be working.
Over a third of prisoners who are released re-offend within two years.
We believe that short, sharp sentencing and the right type of rehabilitation programmes will reduce the level of re-offending.
Something must be done otherwise we will keep building prisons.
A country with a big prison population is not healthy. Being in prison is not good for the prisoner, it is tough on their family and the community suffers. For the taxpayer, prisons are a costly business – up to $120,000 a year per prisoner.
Choosing the right community-based rehab programmes and cost-effective short, sharp sentencing for repeat offenders should go a long way to preventing people from re-entering the prison gates.
The support must be there when the prisoner leaves jail.
New Zealand First is also concerned about crimes being committed while youngsters are present.
Figures show that 460 children were found at crime scenes in the 2010-2011 year. Many of these crime scenes were drug houses and P-labs.
Our Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill has passed its first reading in the House.
If it passes into law committing a crime in front of children will be considered by the court during sentencing as an aggravating factor.
New Zealand First continues to be concerned about the failure of measures now in place to reduce the number of prisoners who re-offend. Despite huge spending in an attempt at rehabilitation and getting former prisoners to end their bad habits nothing appears to be working. Over a third of...
New Zealand First continues to be concerned about the failure of measures now in place to reduce the number of prisoners who re-offend.
Despite huge spending in an attempt at rehabilitation and getting former prisoners to end their bad habits nothing appears to be working.
Over a third of prisoners who are released re-offend within two years.
We believe that short, sharp sentencing and the right type of rehabilitation programmes will reduce the level of re-offending.
Something must be done otherwise we will keep building prisons.
A country with a big prison population is not healthy. Being in prison is not good for the prisoner, it is tough on their family and the community suffers. For the taxpayer, prisons are a costly business – up to $120,000 a year per prisoner.
Choosing the right community-based rehab programmes and cost-effective short, sharp sentencing for repeat offenders should go a long way to preventing people from re-entering the prison gates.
The support must be there when the prisoner leaves jail.
New Zealand First is also concerned about crimes being committed while youngsters are present.
Figures show that 460 children were found at crime scenes in the 2010-2011 year. Many of these crime scenes were drug houses and P-labs.
Our Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill has passed its first reading in the House.
If it passes into law committing a crime in front of children will be considered by the court during sentencing as an aggravating factor.
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