Maxim Institute - real issues - No 242

01 Mar 2007

Maxim Institute - real issues - No 242 1 March 2007 www.maxim.org.nz

Rehab important for reducing re-offending Immigration policy should serve the whole country "Dadlessness" a leading cause of social dysfunction

IN THE NEWS Nominations open for School Boards of Trustees - "Husband" and "wife" exclusive? - Correction from Real Issues 241

Rehab Important For Reducing Re-Offending

Corrections Minister, Damien O'Connor, announced this week that the number of places in drug and alcohol treatment units will double, with three more units opening over the next two years. The units are part of the Government's "Effective Interventions in Criminal Justice" package, aimed at aiding rehabilitation, reducing re-offending, and finding better alternatives to prison.

Up to 60 percent of offenders are affected by drugs or alcohol at the time of their offending, and over 80 percent will struggle with some form of addiction to alcohol or drugs over the term of their lives. To rehabilitate, to reform, to reconnect and rebuild, we cannot afford to ignore the factors which make the return to crime easier, or the release process hard. Addressing addiction is a vital part of this process, and in the end, emphasising rehabilitation, as this package does, should result in a safer society for us all. Recidivism is bad for everyone and initiatives like this, which aim at making sure offenders do not waste their second chance, are welcome and desperately needed.

Punishment is, and ought always to remain, a central goal of the criminal justice system. But at the same time, we ought to consider what will, and what ought, to happen when the prison gate opens. Rehabilitation has a greater chance of taking root when addictions are not an issue, and in small steps, this initiative aims at producing punished criminals who will not offend again. If effective, it will mean fewer victims, fewer crimes, and a safer society.

Read Maxim Institute's media release from 28 February

Read more about the Effective Interventions in Criminal Justice package

Immigration Policy Should Serve The Whole Country

Maori Party co-leader, Tariana Turia, called this week for restrictions on immigration from Western countries, accusing the government of trying to stop "the browning of New Zealand". In the wake of the Statistics New Zealand decision that the number of Maori seats will remain at seven, Mrs Turia has expressed concern that high rates of immigration dilute Maori electoral representation. She has also argued that the Treaty of Waitangi provides for Maori to be consulted on immigration matters, and that Maori concerns can no longer be pushed aside.

Immigration policy should not be based on electoral mathematics. We should not set policy on immigration to serve sectional or political interests, but our whole country. Migrants who bring skills we need, who respect our values, and desire to make a contribution to their new country should be welcome regardless of race or colour.

Mrs Turia is concerned with what is best for Maori, which is not surprising for the leader of the Maori Party. Indeed most of us tend to be most concerned with our own patch. But we elect our Members of Parliament not only to represent their constituents, or the interest that elected them, but to govern for, and in the interest of, the whole country. And our country benefits from controlled and wise immigration, regardless of whether the Maori Party does or does not. We ought to listen to any legitimately expressed concern, but we ought also to act in the best interests of New Zealand and for the common good.

Read Tariana Turia's previous comments on immigration

"Dadlessness" A Leading Cause Of Social Dysfunction

The Social Justice Research Group's landmark report, Breakdown Britain: Interim Report on the State of the Nation, continues to stir debate, as British politicians increasingly begin to recognise the importance of marriage as a social glue, and the marriage rate in Britain reaches historic lows.

The report's emphasis on dissolution, dysfunction and "Dadlessness" continues to be controversial with some deriding it for daring to argue that these are leading causes of poverty, educational failure, intergenerational relationship instability, delinquency and teenage pregnancy.

The survey data collected showed that poverty and indebtedness were the most concerning factors for families in distress, and family breakdown clearly contributed to this. After a divorce, women were, on average, 18 percent worse off financially; men by 2 percent. The report shows that family dissolution not only contributes to higher poverty rates, it also leads to further family breakdown. Children whose parents divorced generally had a lower socioeconomic base and less stable relationships in adulthood, which increased the possibility that they too would divorce. Further, children whose parents separated, or whose parents had had children in their teens, were more likely to be teenage parents themselves, thus continuing the poverty cycle.

This report adds weight to a growing body of international research indicating that a father's absence is often associated with risks for children's development. Research shows that active father involvement matters a great deal to children, even after taking income, a mother's involvement and various other demographic variables into account.

The authors of this report are bravely tackling a thorny political issue. In society's attempt to protect parents and children who have suffered family breakdown from feeling any kind of offence, we are skating dangerously close to saying that dads don't really matter. It is time we had the courage to face up to the consequences of relationship dysfunction. If we do not, children will continue to miss out.

Read the report, Breakdown Britain: Interim Report on the State of the Nation

IN THE NEWS

Nominations Open For School Boards Of Trustees

Nominations opened on 1 March 2007 for elections to School Boards of Trustees. Trustees make a vital difference in their school, serving children, parents and school communities, and making equally vital decisions. If you want to do some good in your community and make a positive contribution to your local school, why not consider putting your name forward for service on the Board of Trustees? Nominations close on 15 March 2007.

Download a nomination form

For more information, visit the Take Action page on www.maxim.org.nz

"Husband" And "Wife" Exclusive?

A recently released publication setting out "good practice" in the Scottish National Health Service when it comes to the "inclusion" of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people has courted controversy by labelling words such as "husband" "wife", "mother", "father" and "marriage" as exclusive, advocating instead for neutral alternatives. The publication, Fair For All: The Wider Challenge; Good GLBT Practice in the NHS, is published by the NHS Inclusion Project, a partnership of Stonewall Scotland and the Scottish NHS.

Read the report, Fair For All: The Wider Challenge; Good GLBT Practice in the NHS

Correction From Real Issues 241

Maxim Institute apologises for an error in last week's edition of Real Issues. In the article, Teenage birth rates continue to rise, the statistic should have read that pregnancies were 28.4 per 1000 girls aged 15-19. As a percentage, this means that 2.8 percent of the 15-19 girl population had babies in 2006.

TALKING POINT

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope.

Winston Churchill

A registered charitable trust, funded by donations, Maxim Institute values your interest and support.

Click here to find out how you can support Maxim Institute

Maxim Institute's regular email publication, Real Issues, provides thought-provoking analysis of developments in policy and culture in New Zealand and around the world. You can express you views on any of the articles featured in Real Issues by writing a letter to the editor. A selection of the best letters will be posted each week on Maxim Institute's website .

ENDS

© Scoop Media