Summarised by Centrist
Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says he’s exploring the possibility of scrapping short prison sentences in favour of longer ones, arguing they offer better access to rehabilitation and reduce reoffending.
“If violent offenders receive short sentences or are released without proper rehabilitation, it puts the public at risk,” Mitchell said. He noted that his top priority was public safety, even if the policy led to more prisons being built.
However, Mitchell has since clarified that he is not actively pushing for longer sentences, but wants Corrections to examine whether sentence length affects rehabilitation success. When asked by RNZ, he said:
“The evidence shows that longer prison sentences gives you more time to be able to deliver programmes and to invest in people so that when they do come out they’re better equipped to make good decisions…”.
Labour’s Duncan Webb called the idea “depressing,” and said prisons are a waste of money: “We should be putting money into where we can avoid crime, which is into education, into health, into addiction and into mental health.”
Green MP Tamatha Paul accused the government of overreach and of misrepresenting the prison population: “Not every person in prison has done a violent, heinous, serious crime… These are short sentences for burglary and theft.”
The Department of Corrections confirmed it is reviewing reoffending data related to short sentences and acknowledged staffing and programme delivery remain challenges.
Editor’s note: RNZ fails to include a single voice from victims’ groups, front-line police, or community leaders who support tougher sentencing. This gives their report the appearance of consensus where significant public disagreement exists.
