Let David Garrett live his life – Rethinking Crime and Punishment

“David Garrett’s conviction is well and truly in the past. He deserves a chance to demonstrate that he is a law abiding person, and can fully discharge his obligations as a Member of Parliament.

That is the view of Kim Workman, Director, Rethinking Crime and Punishment.

“There are thousands of New Zealanders who have been convicted of a single act of violence, who have moved on to make a valuable contribution to society”. Let’s face it, 40% of Maori men over the age of 15 years, have either been to prison, or served a community based sentence. I know a lot of those people, and today they are serving the community as pastors, social workers, business people, academics, and tribal leaders“

“We must do away with the idea that one or two convictions should mark a person for life. Instead of stigmatising them well into the future, we should be holding them accountable for their behaviour, and supporting their efforts to lead lawful lives.”

“There are a lot of people who support David and his views, and he has been an effective spokesperson for them. He should be encouraged to carry on with his work.”

ENDS

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