Crime & Justice in New Zealand Society

About

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in the world, second only to the USA. What are the factors influencing our burgeoning prison population? Should we be putting more emphasis on education and rehabilitation than on incarceration?  How can we tackle the problem of recidivist offenders? Why is there such a high rate of Maori in the criminal justice system?

This intensive two day conference will examine the factors that make our crime figures so high, and discuss policies and initiatives designed to combat the increasing prison population.

Topical issues we address:

• Which direction is the New Zealand justice system taking?
• Examine the social triggers of crime
• Alcohol and its contributory effect on crime figures
• Why is youth violent offending on the increase?
• Breaking the cycle of intergenerational crime
• Mothers in custody & babies behind the wire
• Are crime prevention strategies and initiatives effective?

With a keynote address by Sir David Carruthers, Chairman of the NZ Parole Board on “The Role of Parole in a Civilised Society” and an international perspective from the Drug Court of Victoria (Australia) on “The effectiveness of voluntary programmes vs custodial sentences”.

Join our expert speaker panel as we examine the justice system in New Zealand and discuss ways to reduce offending and re-offending. We have structured the programme in a way which allows for interaction and debate – with panel discussions, plenty of time for Q&A and input from many different organisations.

Make sure to take advantage of our special 2 for 1 deal – bring along a colleague free! And with our Early Bird discount you save an additional $300 by registering and paying before 2 August 2010.

Discounts

2 for 1 Offer
Register two people from the same organisation at the same time, and the second delegate attends for free.

Charitable Organisations
Limited discounted spaces available for small, charitable organisations. Please call  09 912 3616 to discuss your eligibility and options.

Agenda

Agenda: Day 1

8.30

Registration & Coffee

9.00

Opening remarks from the Chair

Kim Workman, Director, Rethinking Crime and Punishment

9.10

Panel debate: The current and future direction of the New Zealand Justice system

Our expert panel will examine the way forward for justice and how we compare internationally.
• Punishment or rehabilitation? – where should the emphasis lie?
• Restorative justice – is it working?
• Should the priority be on crime prevention or detection?
• Investment into rehabilitation programmes
• Policies for dealing with youth offenders
• Recidivist offenders – examining the trends

Robin Gunston, National Director, Prison Fellowship NZ
Carey Ewing, Reintegration Services/Social Worker, Pathway Trust
More panellists TBC

10.00

“Addressing the Drivers of Crime”: Social triggers and conditioners for crime

In November 2009, Cabinet agreed that “Addressing the Drivers of Crime” be established as a whole-of-government priority to reduce offending and victimisation. Social, financial, educational and ethnic linkages between demographic groups and offending rates have been well researched and the “Addressing the Drivers of Crime” initiative highlights four priority areas for cross-government action. This session will examine these key areas, their impact on offending rates, and the objectives behind them.
• Maternity and early parenting support services
• Treatment of behavioural problems in children and young people
• Reducing the harm from alcohol
• Alternative approaches to managing low-level offenders and offering pathway out of offending

10.50

Morning tea

11.20

EXPERT PANEL DEBATE

Part 1: Alcohol and the contributory effect on crime figures
18% of the total budget of New Zealand Police is used on dealing with alcohol related incidents. Road traffic accidents, assaults, domestic violence, and robbery are amongst the areas heavily influenced by alcohol. Emergency Departments, already over-stretched, struggle to cope with alcohol-fuelled admissions during weekends. We discuss the drinking culture in New Zealand and its implications for offending rates.
• How do we compare internationally?
• Do rehabilitation and recovery centres receive sufficient funding?

Part 2: Examining “Alcohol in our lives: Curbing the harm”, the Law Commission’s recommendations
In its review of New Zealand’s liquor laws, The Law Commission made 153 recommendations, which fell into 4 distinct areas:
1. The case for reducing alcohol-related harm
2. Controlling the supply of alcohol
3. Reducing the demand for alcohol
4. Limiting alcohol-related problems
Our panel will discuss the findings of the report and the recommendations it made, with special emphasis on;
• Should the age for alcohol purchase be increased?
• Is alcohol too widely available?
• Would a restriction in licensing hours be effective?
• Would an increase in excise tax on alcohol reduce drinking or merely penalise the social drinker?

Gerard Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer, Alcohol Advisory Council NZ
Dr Paul Quigley, Emergency Medicine Specialist, Capital & Coast DHB
More panellists TBC

12.30

Lunch

1.20

Examining the over-representation of Maori in the criminal justice system

Relative to their numbers in the general population, Maori are over-represented at every stage of the criminal justice process. While some 15% of the population is Maori; 50% of all persons in prison identify as Maori. This session will discuss the statistics, and how iwi and whanau are working with government agencies to reduce Maori offending.
· Are Maori more likely to be convicted than non-Maori?
· What we can learn from international trends in indigenous offending rates
· Discussing Iwi led initiatives to reduce offending rates among Maori

Dr Te Tuhi Robust, Associate Professor and Director Operations (Northland), Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi

2.10

Why is youth violent offending on the rise?

Youth offending statistics show increases since about 2004 in both the top end (wounding with intent and injuring with intent) and bottom end (common assault and male assaults female) violent offences. These increases cannot be ignored. However, while the number of violent offences is increasing, the total numbers of young people in this age group (14 to 16 year olds) has been decreasing since 2006. It is concerning that youth violence appears to be rising while the population numbers are decreasing.
• Age of criminal responsibility – does this need reviewing?
• Government policies on youth offending
• Youth detention centres – are they working?
• Rehabilitation programmes and their effectiveness
• Community based strategies and mentoring programmes

Garth McVicar, National Spokesman, Sensible Sentencing Trust

2.55

Afternoon tea

3.15

Mothers in Custody: A perspective on women in custody, parenting from within and the opportunities to change the next generation

• Increasing numbers of women in custody, younger women with more violent crimes - why?
• Separation from children -what can we do to make the separation less painful
• Accommodating women with their babies and infants inside prison
• Prison nurseries - another perspective
• What difference can we make for the next generation? What is the realism around changing outcomes for children of women in custody?

Agnes Robertson, Prison Manager, Auckland Regional Women’s Correctional Facility

4.00

Babies behind the wire: Early intervention within a justice setting

When a mother is imprisoned, she leaves children behind and in many instances these children are very young. They are then looked after by the other parent, other family members or the state. Regardless, the relationship with the mother is severed. The impact of the disrupted relationship for these children is far reaching.
• New Start Plus: A pilot project with mothers and their infants inside the wire at Christchurch Women’s Prison
• Community and prisons working together on a common project
• The advantages of engaging mothers with their infants in prison and then following them on release into the community
• Teaching mothers new skills when they are a captive audience
• The potential positive impact on reoffending rates for women who are able to keep their infants with them in prison
• Small sample, big payback

Libby Robins, Director, Family Help Trust

4.35

Breaking the cycle of intergenerational crime

When a child is brought up in a household where committing crime is almost normal behaviour, the likelihood of the child going on to offend is dramatically increased. It is estimated that there are currently 20,000 children who have a parent in prison. This session will discuss ways to lessen the impact of parental imprisonment on our children and on their future
• What roles should Government have in supporting family connections crucial to children’s development and future success?
• How can prisons become more family-friendly and improve parent- child connections through visitation policies and child friendly visiting facilities?
• What partnerships and linkages can be formed with community based organisations that address the needs of parents, families and children?
• The need to enhance prisoner programmes to better address parent education, improve family relationships and assist with reintegration and follow-up once prisoners return to their families in the community

Verna McFelin, CEO, Pillars

5.15

End of day one and networking drinks

Agenda: Day 2

9.00

Opening remarks from the Chair

Dr Michael Roguski, Director - Crime and Justice Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington

9.10

Will Whanau Ora help in reducing crime?

As Whanau Ora is rolled out, its aim is to reduce the number of individual agencies a family or whanau have to deal with, and take a more holistic approach to issues across health, education, employment and justice.
• Can Whanau Ora providers be a jack-of-all-trades?
• Will dealing with a whole family instead of a group of

10.00

Are crime prevention strategies and initiatives effective?

Internationally there is a growing trend for communities to take a partnership-based approach to crime prevention involving local authorities, community organisations and the private sector working alongside traditional law enforcement agencies. These approaches encourage the use of ‘knowledge-based prevention’ - based on research evidence of what does and does not work - as well as a greater focus on the causative risk factors that influence crime. Approaches that consider the causes of crime are seen to be more cost effective and have greater social benefits in the longer term. This session will examine strategies put in place in a local authority area, and examine their effectiveness.

Mark Maxlow, Team Leader – Safe Waitakere, Waitakere City Council

10.45

Morning tea

11.05

International Keynote: Dealing with repeat offenders through the Drug Court – The effectiveness of voluntary programmes vs custodial sentences

The drug court, a judicially organised and operated treatment programme for non-violent drug and/ or alcohol dependent criminal offenders, is becoming an internationally accepted way of dealing with repeat offenders. The aim is to break the cycle of dependency fuelled offending by engaging the offender in a voluntary programme as an alternative to a custodial sentence. This session will examine the work of the court from both a judicial and administrative point of view, and discuss its impact on offenders.

Margaret Harding, Magistrate, The Drug Court of Victoria

11.50

The role of parole in a civilised society

This presentation will highlight the balancing act of ensuring victims’ rights are upheld while also giving offenders the opportunity to successfully reintegrate and access special treatment programmes available in the community.
• How to accurately assess the risk posed by offenders
• Setting conditions of release and effectively managing offenders’ reintegration
• Limiting cases of breach of parole conditions

Sir David Carruthers, Chairman, New Zealand Parole Board

12.40

Prisoner reintegration: Poor reintegration as a precursor for reoffending

This session reports on a recent study that followed a number of prisoners six weeks prior to their release from prison and up to three months post-release. The study’s findings illustrate the dearth of pre- and post-release reintegration support, multidimensional challenges to the individual and their families’ wellbeing and the role of poor reintegration in facilitating reoffending. Recommendations are made for improvements to pre- and post-release prisoner reintegration.

Dr Michael Roguski, Director - Crime and Justice Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington

2.15

Examining sentencing policies in New Zealand

With overcrowded prisons and high rates of offending in certain demographic groups, there is a knock on effect on sentencing. This session will discuss the aims of sentencing policies, the effect on the criminal justice system and how public opinion can influence sentencing.
• Punishment or rehabilitation?
• How is the sentencing scale set?
• The effectiveness of deterrent sentencing
• Sentencing of dangerous offenders
• Victim impact statements – do they influence sentences?
• Should victims and the offender’s whanau have a greater role in the sentencing of Māori offenders, and how could this be achieved?
• The Three Strikes policy- implications for the prison population

Jim Considine, former Prison Chaplain and, Founder of the Restorative Justice Network

3.00

Afternoon tea

3.15

Improving support for victims of serious crime

New initiatives for financial assistance for the victims of serious crime were announced last year to prevent those victims suffering further hardship. Victim Support has always provided counseling and emotional support for all crime victims and now in addition, two specialist services will be rolled out to give additional support to homicide victims and victims of sexual violence.
• Homicide Support Service – managed by Victim Support
• Specialist Victim Advisers – Managed by the Ministry of Justice
This session will examine the new levels of support for victims of serious crime, and how this can improve outcomes for both victims and the justice system.

Tony Paine, CEO, Victim Support

4.00

Closing remarks from the Chair and end of conference

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