Grassroots community groups vital for Crime Summit

Green Party Law and Order Spokesperson Metiria Turei today welcomed news of the Government’s upcoming Crime Summit and recommended victims’ rights and rehabilitation groups who should take part.

“There are many community organisations running restorative justice and rehabilitation programmes that must be part of the summit.

“For example, Ngati Kahungunu ran an extremely successful summit on Maori justice at the end of last year. Groups such as Prison Fellowship, He Korowai Trust and Prisoners’ Aid and Rehabilitation Society must also be major participants in such a summit.

“These people – from Maori, faith-based and other sectors – work at the coalface with victims and offenders and their families. They know better than lobby groups or officials what these families really need in order to break the cycle of crime in their communities,” Mrs Turei said.

“It’s vital we acknowledge the pain and hurt of crime victims and advocate strongly for solutions that actually work.”

Mrs Turei agreed with Justice Minister Simon Power that focussing on Maori crime and alcohol were important ways to reduce overall crime rates.

“But we need to avoid the ‘lock ‘em up, hang ‘em high’ rhetoric. The proven ineffectiveness of boot camps and three strikes policies show that kneejerk reactions are unhelpful and we need to focus on restorative justice.

“Statistics New Zealand figures show Maori currently make up 15.1 percent of the New Zealand population while Department of Corrections figures from June 2008 show Maori make up 50.1 percent of all prison inmates. This must change.

The summit must also take into account that Maori are more likely to be charged, arrested, and convicted despite other factors and that the issue of discrimination in the system also needs to be addressed when considering "Maori" crime, Mrs Turei says.

“Addressing the 'drivers' of crime, also means confronting poverty, unemployment and poor educational opportunities. No assessment of the causes of crime can ignore the impact of poverty, and for Maori the impact of colonisation.

“I hope the Minister understands that the initiatives to deal with the 'drivers' of crime will require cross sectoral commitment from government departments, the community sector, iwi and hapu and those communities most affected. A true collaboration could provide for excellent results. Anything less will simply be a talk fest, leaving the community as unsafe and uncertain as before.”