1 May 2001

Nandor welcomes restorative justice for Nelson

Green Party Justice Spokesperson Nandor Tanczos today welcomed news that a face-to-face restorative justice scheme will begin in Nelson over the next few months.

Under the scheme victims will have the ability to meet with offenders to discuss the crime, if they wish, in an effort to allow victims of crime a voice within the judicial process.

"I have championed the merits of restorative justice for a long time because under our current justice system the victims of crime are silenced," said Mr Tanczos.

"Victims have no role to play in the current court process, no ability to confront the offender and usually no opportunity to receive an apology."

Mr Tanczos said the justice system is characterised by the fact that a crime against a person is immediately classed as a crime against the state, with the state seeking retribution regardless of the victims' needs.

"Restorative justice recognises that when a crime is committed a person is hurt and the first priority must be to try to heal that hurt.

"Restorative justice has a huge role to play in making our justice system more responsive, people-centred and, ultimately, more effective. I think this scheme will prove to be very successful in Nelson and I congratulate David Maze and the Nelson Restorative Justice Trust for making this happen."

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>