ACT MP Nicole McKee is welcoming sentencing reforms coming into force today that put rights for victims first and create tougher consequences for crime. Today's changes deliver on an ACT coalition commitment to introduce new aggravating factors at sentencing for offences against sole charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected.

“For years under Labour, New Zealand saw a steady erosion of public confidence in the justice system. Offenders faced fewer and shorter prison sentences, while communities paid the price,” says McKee.

"Police data showed a 134% increase in serious assault leading to injury from 2017-2023 under Labour's failed experiment of being kind to criminals.

“We've restored three strikes, and from today additional measures are coming into force to make the message even clearer.”

The changes to sentencing laws strengthen the justice system by:

• Capping sentence discounts when considering mitigating factors
• Preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse
• Cracking down on retail crime by introducing new aggravating factors at sentencing to address offences against sole charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected.
• Encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing when someone commits a crime on bail, in custody or on parole.
• Putting victims at the heart of the justice system by requiring courts to take victims’ needs and interests into account at sentencing.

“People working alone feel especially vulnerable, as do those who work in a business attached to the family home, because they can’t flee without putting loved ones at risk. Now, these workers’ vulnerability will be recognised in law, as set out in ACT’s coalition agreement,” says McKee.

“I know people remain concerned about retail crime. These changes send a clear message that violence and thuggery will not be tolerated, deterring potential criminals and locking away those who commit crimes for longer so they can’t harm anyone else.

“These are practical, common-sense changes that ensure the justice system prioritises victims, not offenders. Law-abiding New Zealanders deserve to feel safe, and that starts with holding criminals to account.”

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