Almost half of the women imprisoned in New Zealand have not been convicted of the crime that is keeping them behind bars. A sweeping 2013 law change designed to create greater bail hurdles for violent offenders has had an outsize effect on women, and Māori women in particular. Continue reading
Posts Tagged ‘Maori in prison’
Māori resolute in calls for total justice reform
Thursday, July 25th, 2019Māori have delivered a clear call for widespread justice sector reform, led by Māori, in the hopes this time the Government will listen. Laura Walters reports. A new report from justice hui representatives is resolute in its calls for total reform of the justice system, once and for all. Read more
Decisive action needed to reduce rate of imprisonment – Peter Dunne
Monday, May 28th, 2018
A former member of parliament and cabinet minister is asking whether any Government has the moral fortitude to do anything serious about reducing our growing rate of imprisonment. Peter Dunne says that for at least the last 30 years it has been virtually impossible to have a rational political debate about law and order. And he says that, Read more
College students’ youth justice report catches Children’s Commissioner’s eye
Thursday, June 29th, 2017
Students from St Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch have written a report that has caught the attention of the Commissioner for Children, Judge Andrew Becroft. The report, released at the Nga Hau E Wha National marae on Wednesday, looked at how those aged between 10 and 16 are faring when they fall foul of Read more
Unlocking Maori identity to keep Maori out of jail
Tuesday, August 18th, 2015
For the most part Te Ao Mārama looks just like the other low to medium security units at Waikeria prison. Sixty cells surround a central yard on three sides. On the fourth is a dining hall, behind that the meeting areas and offices. The perimeter fence is lined with coils of barbed wire, over which Read more
Time to face uncomfortable truths about our offenders
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Jail is for them, not us, is a white middle class understanding that’s well-illustrated by the case of Rick Bryant, the ageing rocker currently appealing against his jail sentence for drug dealing. I follow his case with interest. Nobody who was at university at the same time as Rick could forget him, in part because Read more