Login
NZ’s ‘justice system is broken’
In a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council, New Zealand’s Justice Minister conceded that the nation has to address serious challenges posed by its justice system.
Jerome Doraisamy
Speaking in Geneva last week for the third Universal Periodic Review of New Zealand’s human rights record, NZ Justice Minister Andrew Little said, “it is fair to say our justice system is broken”, with the nation having one of the highest incarceration rates per capita in the world, and this has risen in recent years.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
“Māori are disproportionately represented at every stage of our criminal justice system, both as offenders and victims. We are struggling with prison capacity and prisoner violence. Ninety percent of prisoners have a lifetime diagnosis of mental health or substance use disorder,” he said.
The Kiwi government is “deeply concerned” about the effects of this on communities, family and society, he noted.
“We have promised New Zealanders that we will effect transformational change of the justice system. To achieve this, we have initiated a program called Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata (safe and effective justice). Its goals include reducing offending and thereby the prison population by 30 per cent within the next 15 years.
“Because we want any program of change to be sustainable and inclusive, we are working with Māori and communities along the way. We held a Criminal Justice Summit last year, in which we heard from Māori, victims, practitioners, former criminals and justice representatives who have first-hand experience of how to improve the system. The key message that emerged was the importance of partnering with Māori to ensure solutions work for Māori.”
Workshops and a victims’ conference will follow in 2019, and an expert advisory group has been established, he pledged; there will also be a focus on on preventative measures such as improvements in mental health services.
“For those already in the justice system, we are looking at ways to address re-offending, particularly of Māori, and to improve rehabilitation and reintegration programs. We are committed to confronting the challenges posed by our justice system with a hope and belief that we can, and should, do better for New Zealanders now, and for future generations.”
New Zealand is one of 14 states being currently reviewed by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group.
The speech echoed sentiments proffered by the Law Society of the Northern Territory in November of last year, saying that the state government had to reform its “broken youth justice system”.
