Asenati Lole-Taylor
Law and Order spokesperson
09 Feb 2012 TOUGHER PRISON SENTENCING BILL COMING

Tougher Prison Sentencing Bill Coming

New Zealand First will be putting forward a Private Members’ Bill to give judges the option of imposing ‘short, sharp sentences’ for repeat offenders.

Law and Order spokesperson, Le’aufa’amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor says prisoners need to be reminded they are not on holiday camps with “hi de hi” Programmes.

Mrs Lole-Taylor is a former Regional Pacific development Advisor for Corrections.

In her maiden speech in Parliament she focused on the need for shorter, tougher sentences during which prisoners work hard and also attend more community rehabilitation and re-integration programmes.

“Prisons should be a place people don’t want to go back to,”

Currently it costs taxpayers up to $120,000 to keep each prisoner per year.

“Instead of building more prisons and taking on the ostrich mentality of locking them up and throwing away the key, funds should be redirected to serious rehabilitation and reintegration programmes both in the community and at prison sites,

“Short, sharp, sentencing is more cost effective. It reduces the need to build more prisons; it reduces prison population and time spent in prison; and has the potential for reducing reoffending.”

The proposed sentencing arrangement would apply to all offenders who face a custodial sentence, and are convicted of a crime punishable by a minimum of six months imprisonment and no more than eight years.

Serious violent offenders, sex offenders and drug dealers would not be considered for the short, sharp sentencing.

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