Darroch Ball
Sensible Sentencing Trust.
In response to the smoke and mirrors ‘Youth Crime Announcement’ from the government, the Act Party has said that these youths need to be on electronic monitoring.
Firstly there is nothing new about what Labour have announced – it just ‘expands’ the same old stuff they have been relying on for the past five years. More ‘community wellbeing boards’, more wrap-around support, more excuses, more hugs, more mugs of Milo. Literally nothing different.
In the biggest contradiction of all, Police Minister Chris Hipkins was quoted a couple of weeks ago saying that the issue was that consequences weren’t acting as a deterrent. So what does he deliver? Not one policy or strategy in the new announcement that even touches on the consequences. In fact, it’s just literally more of the same. It seems he truly believes putting these out-of-control youths in front of a ‘well being board’ will teach them a darn good lesson. How out of touch do you need to be?
So now here comes the Act Party with a policy to put these kids on electronic monitoring. Which, is great on the face of it, as it looks to give some sort of outcome for their behaviour. The problem is that it won’t do a thing. It’s actually not even a consequence to them. It’s simply monitoring. If they don’t care now about the punishments the existing system hands out, why would they care if they are monitored misbehaving? They simply don’t care if they are caught.
The big question that no one yet has asked is: If they are under electronic monitoring and then commit another crime then what? And if the answer is “They get another consequence” then firstly, what is that consequence and secondly, why didn’t they just get that in the first place?
The point is, that these youths who commit these higher-level ram raids and robberies are not first-time offenders. They are the repeat offenders that couldn’t give two-fifths when they get caught – if they get caught…which is less than 50% of the time.
The fact is that police and corrections have enough of an issue now monitoring criminals with bracelets – this will just pile more and more on a failing system. Offenders will cut those bracelets off, they will abscond. Reported in the Herald just a couple of months ago:
“More than 100 young people, many linked to the rise in high-level repeat offending by young criminals, have absconded while on electronic monitoring in the past 12 months — an increase of more than 200 per cent in five years.”
NZ Herald
So the Act Party wants to add to this? If it weren’t so serious we would be laughing at it all. Who is coming up with these policies? How about just getting some serious consequences instead of extending a failing monitoring system?
But at least it’s a step in the right direction for the conversation. The soft on crime Labour government have their heads so far up their own ideological drain pipe that they actually think what they are doing will work.
They are just taking the mickey.
