The Government should ditch its target of reducing the prison population by 30 per cent, National’s Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“Public safety should be the overriding priority of the justice system.

“Labour’s target to reduce the prison population, combined with no restrictions on judges’ ability to reduce sentences, has weakened the consequences offenders face and made New Zealand less safe.

“Downgrading prison sentences to home detention poses clear threats to community safety which Labour continually refuses to acknowledge.

“Home detention rarely means offenders are confined to their homes, with many attending workplaces and other public places. Home detention has its place, but ultimately, an ankle bracelet only tells authorities where someone is. It cannot stop them from harming innocent New Zealanders.

“On Tuesday this week, Justice Minister Kiri Allan said Labour had ‘safely reduced the prison population by 21 per cent’.

“The evidence suggests otherwise.

“While the prison population has fallen, violent crime has risen by 33 per cent.

“National will restore real consequences for serious crime. Removing the target to reduce the prison population will keep more serious violent offenders in prison in the short term, where they cannot create new victims.

“That is why National has already committed to removing Labour’s prison population reduction target, restoring Three Strikes, and limiting the discounts that judges can apply at sentencing.

“A National government will make public safety and victims a main priority of the justice system.”

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