Mark Mitchell wants short prison sentences scrapped in hope of reducing reoffending
The Corrections Minister is looking at scrapping short prison sentences in favour of longer ones, in the hope of reducing reoffending.
Mark Mitchell said people with longer sentences have more access to rehabilitation and therefore more successfully re-enter society.
The idea is only being looked into, but it’s Mitchell’s preference if it led to fewer victims overall – even if it required building more prisons due to an increase in the prison population.
“When violent offenders receive short sentences or are released without proper rehabilitation, it puts the public at risk. I have asked Corrections to look into how short sentences relate to re-offending with a view of gaining a better understanding,” Mitchell told RNZ.
“We want to see offenders turn their lives around and become meaningful, contributing members of society.
Firstly I love that he’s pretending to give a fuck about prisoners, because the entire Right Wing in NZ get sexually aroused at the thought of making prisoners suffer, so watching Mark Mitchell pretend he cares is just lovely isn’t it?
It’s like Trump claiming he’s a feminist.
Here’s Mark’s argument: Prisoners getting released haven’t done any rehabilitation.
Let’s all pause and start laughing now.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
You don’t say champ?
Of course prisoners aren’t rehabilitated after they go through our corrupt, violent and overcrowded prison system!
Mark’s idiotic solution to a system that takes damaged men and releases monsters (BECAUSE the Prison system is so brutalising), HIS solution is putting more men in prison for longer?
Wow.
Slow clap for the thickest meat and 3 vege in Cabinet.
Let me explain why this is so counter productive.
The academic research shows us that prisoners kept at home on home detention have a lower reoffence rate than those kept in prison BECAUSE prison is so brutalising.
Mark’s issue is that many prisoners are released without undergoing any rehabilitation because their sentences are too short to gain rehabilitation.
Here’s the problem with rehabilitation – for the serious crime, Prisoners have to admit their guilt or they aren’t eligible for rehab programs.
The greatest number of people in prison not having rehab are prisoners held on remand who are awaiting trial, and they are not going to do rehabilitation programs if it means an admission of guilt will they?
Look, there are absolutely sadists, psychopaths and career criminals who require genuine punishment for their crimes and need to be locked up until they are no longer a threat to the community, of course there are – but they are the minority even in prison, many are just broken damaged men who are further brutalised by the prison process.
If you want to make rehabilitation meaningful, you would provide it to prisoners serving their time on home deletion because they have the space to reflect and heal in the safety of their home – trying that in a prison environment where admitting any emotion is seen as weakness in a cultural landscape of damaged masculinity will never bloody work!
All Mark’s plan will do is put vastly more men into overcrowded, under resourced, corrupt and violent prison system, where they won’t access rehabilitation services because they have to admit guilt and that will lead to them doing full lags without a days worth of rehabilitation and come out the other end even more violent.
The Right have no credibility pretending to care for prisoners.
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Most are way beyond rehabilitation. Sadly, the best we can do is to keep them away from the public to minimize the harm done.
Sadly, you get to have your ignorant opinions. Happily, no one needs to give a fuck what you think.
Got a big shiny new prison that needs filling so how else is the Crown gonna fill it ?
Build it and they will come!
Mitchell should be looking at the causes of crime and addressing those.
While also ensuring rehabilitation is up to scratch and provided far earlier rather than keeping people in longer.
It will cost far more to lock people up for longer and will produce more broken people entering back into society as a result.
Could it be a ploy to build up demand for the new private prison owners?
Yes, chairman and maybe Mitchell has some shares in the company providing private prisons.
Keeping prisoners in prison longer is proven to prevent re offending
Keeping prisoners in prison longer is proven to increase private prison profits
Maybe while they are in prison but the real evidence shows they are more likely to offend again once they are released. We get it that some people need to be locked up however a smart approach would be to reduce the causes of crimes (alcohol and gambling especially) as a way to make society safer for all.
Prisoners need rehabilitation inside the prison walls and outside to prepare them for reality and of course socialisation. Eventually most prisoners have to be released. However, if you want people to change and reduce recidivism, we need good rehab programs and we as country need to invest more in this area. I would like to see a breakdown of where all the proceeds of crime go to as it needs to go into drug rehab as we have appalling drug use in our country particularly in meth, cocaine and other A class drugs. Mitchell should focus on this as I see it every day in my local community.
I liked this bit the best: “When violent offenders receive short sentences or are released without proper rehabilitation, it puts the public at risk. I have asked Corrections to look into how short sentences relate to re-offending with a view of gaining a better understanding,” Mitchell told RNZ.
Does this mean that when Corrections tell him the exact opposite of what he wants to hear, that he will ignore the advice given? Or will he by some minor miracle actually listen?
‘Keeping prisoners in prison longer is proven to prevent re offending.’
‘proven’? How? Where? When?
Be good if you can produce some evidence.
One wonders if that includes the reoffending taking place in prisons daily?
National are making cuts almost everywhere as it stands.
So where is the money going to come from to keep people in prison longer?
mitchell is a terminal fool on six figures plus perks of our taxes paying his wages and he does have a talent for beguiling other terminal fools. Just like trump actually. mitchell, like trump, understands that fools are far and away in a majority so all they have to do is appeal to them, which isn’t difficult for trump, or mitchell.
The ONLY way to treat criminals is with kindness, compassion and emotional generosity and that’s the role of government. It’s NOT the roll of society. I’m a part of society and I’d like to fuck the crims up who’ve fucked me over and that’s why I must be protected from myself and that’s why we must have good governance. Impartial, separate, unemotional, kind and well educated and as a consequence, curative. A living wage and good accommodation upon release would also be worthwhile.
But oh no. None of that there. Be cruel, be vicious and be mean and controlling. That makes for proper criminals. Aye boys?
Talking about offending what about our police stitching people up to get a conviction and the crown institutes abuse and torturing of children in homes and institutes.
Since the world is obviously using ‘1984’ as it’s play book, we need to keep all prisoners in jail until they love Big Brother, the only true rehabilitation.