12 September 2005

Labour lets crims back onto streets

National's Law and Order spokesman, Tony Ryall, says home detention is not working properly and must be scrapped immediately for violent and sex offenders.

He is commenting on Wellington coroner Garry Evans's comments after a man died of a drug overdose while on home detention after serving seven years in prison for manslaughter.

The coroner found that:

· On 28 occasions the man was at home when he should have been at work.
· He could not be found on 31 occasions.
· 'Virtually no enforcement action was taken' for these lapses.
· The probation officer did not always receive notifications of the lapses and when he did they were 'not adequately dealt with'.
· The Probation Service 'did not understand' the significance of alert notices.

"Home detention has to change before there is another tragedy," Mr Ryall says.

"Labour changed the law to allow violent and sex offenders to go home early, and wife bashers to return to the home of the women they have bashed.

"National has repeatedly warned Labour of the failings of home detention. They have chosen to ignore these.

"Home detention should be for low-level, non-violent offenders only, and that's what will happen under a National Government," Mr Ryall says.

ENDS

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