Prison population exceeds 10,000 for first time in four years
The number of people in New Zealand’s prisons is higher than 10,000 for the first time in more than four years.
It comes alongside the Government progressing policies designed to impose tougher consequences on those who break the law and the allocation of funding to expand prison capacity.
However, the man in charge of the country’s prisons says many of those policiesare yet to take effect and the recent increase in prisoners reflects a more “conservative” approach the public supports when addressing crime.
On October 30, the total prison population rose to 10,043, increasing from 9982 the week prior. That was higher than Ministry of Justice projections, which had predicted the population would be about 9750 on November 1.
Oh it get’s way worse.
National are so ideologically hateful they will add 10 000 MORE into NZ prisons for minor offences…
Ministry of Justice warns NZ First-National coalition commitment risks doubling prison population
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- The National-NZ First coalition agreement committed to ending concurrent sentences for offences committed while on parole, bail, or in custody.
- The Ministry of Justice estimated this could double the prison population, so the Government has opted to ‘encourage’ ending concurrent sentences as a first step.
- Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has previously said the Government would still honour the coalition commitment during this parliamentary term, but last night he said: “We’ll see.”
Honouring a National-NZ First coalition commitment could put an additional 10,000 people in prison for mostly minor offences, more than doubling the prison population in what Ministry of Justice officials describe as “not a feasible option”.
The estimate is contained in the ministry’s regulatory impact statement (Ris) on the suite of sentencing reforms that Cabinet has now signed off, with a bill enabling them to be introduced to Parliament this week.
Measures include capping sentencing discounts at 40%, limits on discounts for youth and remorse, a sliding scale for pleading guilty, and “encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing for offences committed while on bail, in custody, or on parole”.
In NZ we have angry Māori and Pacifica youth attacking dairy’s and service stations fighting exploited migrant workers from China and India while the white suburbs clutch their pearls and scream ‘something must be done’
The Political Right want a war on crime because their fearful reactionary voting base are always terrified by the Media’s lust with crime porn for click bait.
National are so ideologically hateful they will add 10 000 into NZ prisons for minor offences.
Their toxic cocktail of tough on crime policy will see our prison population explode by 10 000 for mostly minor crimes which will cost billions more while creating all the conditions for a massive prison riots and mass prison privatisation.
In NZ we are not interested in rehabilitating criminals or healing broken men, we want them to suffer and this desire to make the prisoners suffer is leading to counterproductive social policy that will only make issues worse.
To put 10 000 more into our broken prison system and think that is a solution gives you real insight into how ideologically hateful the Political Right have become.
But it gets so much worse.
As National are planning to double bunk our entire corrupt and violent prison system with an extra 10 000 convicted of minor offences, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is plotting to reduce access to Jury trials…
Government considers raising threshold for getting a jury trial
The government is considering raising the threshold for a defendant to choose a jury trial, in a bid to speed up the court system.
The number of active jury trials climbed from about 2000 six years ago to about 3400 last year, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said in a statement. The average duration of a case climbed from 349 days to 498 days over the same period.
Currently, defendants can choose to face a jury – rather than a judge alone – when charged with a criminal offence carrying a maximum prison sentence of two years or more.
Goldsmith said he was seeking feedback on a proposal to increase that threshold, saying jury trials were one of the biggest drivers of delays.
…you’ll tell yourself it’s just the crims, that you don’t need to worry about a Prison Industrial Complex, that removing Jury trials is prudent, you will slavishly spit any lie to hide the Police State you are worshipping.
Human Beings have intrinsic human rights.
Abusing people in prison to make them suffer all to scratch your itch of anger and fear is a sadism, it isn’t law and order.
Removing Jury Trials for those we despise so we can blow the prison population out by 10 000 is not social policy, it’s a revenge fantasy.
When you consider the ongoing criticisms of Police framing people for crimes they didn’t commit, we are opening mega prisons, passing 3 strike legislation and looking to dump Jury Trials all while youth crime is dropping dramatically.
This is what we are now, this is who we have become.
Ain’t it funny how the factories doors close?‘Round the time that the school doors close?‘Round the time that a hundred thousand jail cellsOpen up to greet you like the reaper?
System of a Down – Ashes in the Fall
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This government has taken over the old scout moto of BURN BASH AND BURY whwn it comes to our young people .
Excellent!
What the right and their supporters conveniently forget is that imprisonment is temporary and unless there is an active attempt at rehabilitation then people come out more damaged than when they went in – then wonder why re-offending is so high – FFS!
Current policies are only going to make this worse – much worse – just remember when someone who has been to prison offends against you, that you helped this happened by demanding more punishment!
Legalise cannabis and redirect drug users to compulsory rehabilitation and then into education programs such as entry level trades rather than locking them up.
Address the societal issues that parts of our community seem to think that joining a gang is normal and to say otherwise brings accusations of racism and cultural insensitivity. Gangs are criminal organisations wreaking havoc and terrible harm on the innocent
Lock the bad ones up for full sentences. There are evil men out there who need to be removed from society until they no longer pose a threat which may mean they die in jail.
Your comments make so much sense why cannot those in power see sense.
Greens would say too tough TPM would say it Colonization to blame Labour would say we need a committee to report back just before the next election and National would worry about the bottom line.
This is why crime continues to flourish.
so what about the evil women ?do they get a slap on the wrist .
lock them up too but you’ll find it’ll only be one or two as men commit almost all violent crime
Your comments make so much sense why cannot those in power see sense.
Greens would say too tough TPM would say it Colonization to blame Labour would say we need a committee to report back just before the next election and National would worry about the bottom line.
This is why crime continues to flourish.
My daughter works in corrections and sees no hope of reducing repeat offending as there is little or no rehab and support upon release .She is currently attending a training course for the recent recruits and is alamed that 99% of them speak little english so will be unable to comunicte with prisoners and other staff .
New prison opening next year with no staff ,hows that going to work .
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