There has been a lot of media over the past week focussed on the need to improve the prisons. I must say that I have been disturbed by Kelvin Davis’ ‘blame the victim’ stance. I am aware that there are some very nefarious characters in New Zealand prisons, but there is enough corroborating evidence that the system is not up to the standards that we expect as New Zealanders.
These standards are laid out in the ‘purpose’ section of the Corrections Act 2004. Prisons must be safe, secure, humane and effective. They must be operated at least on the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. They must assist in rehabilitating offenders and reintegrating them into the community by providing programmes and other interventions.
Press Release – JustSpeak
Justice advocacy group JustSpeak is calling on Minister Davis to show leadership and focus on his commitments to meaningful change in Corrections policy, following his accusations against Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi and People Against Prisons Aotearoa yesterday.
“Minister Davis needs to take responsibility for the systemic failures in Corrections facilities across Aotearoa and demonstrate his Government’s commitment to actually making change, rather than attempting to deflect attention from the human rights abuses happening on his watch” said JustSpeak Director Tania Sawicki Mead.
“Just yesterday, Judge McNaughton’s interim ruling made clear that women at Auckland Women’s Regional Prison were subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment, as well as excessive use of force.
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alwyn 14.1.2.1.1
I think it is a desperate attempt by Robertson to try and set up the RBNZ as the people who cop the blame for the shambles that this Government has been making of the housing market for the last three and a half years.
I suspect it will backfire on him (Robertson). Orr is far to smart to allow Robertson to get away with such a transparent attempt to pass the parcel.
Orr is quite likely to take it as an invitation to tell Robertson, publicly, what he thinks will be required to fix the housing situation. Nothing he proposes will be something the the RBNZ can do. Everything will be something that requires fiscal action by Robertson himself. It will be on the basis of If you don t do this it will get worse . What he will suggest is very unlikely to be acceptable to the Government but Orr can then continue in the future to propose that if the Government had only followed our advice…… etc .
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