Rethinking Agrees with Sensible Sentencing re Community Work

“I agree with Alan Monk, of Sensible Sentencing, that it is unacceptable that 15% of those sentenced to community work fail to report. These non-reporters will eventually end up in prison. However, accelerating that process is not the answer.”

He was commenting on a Radio New Zealand report, that the Department of Corrections took 9,646 people to court for breaching community work sentences this year, compared to 8,300 in 2008. For the last two years, 15% of offenders have failed to report for community work.

“We should aim to reduce the number of young adult offenders serving short sentences, because this is the group that is most likely to reoffend within a short time of release. Recent statistics show that 88% of released prisoners under the age of 20 years are reconvicted within 60 months of release, and 71% are re-imprisoned within the same period.”

“If you take a look at the lifestyles and issues, faced by those offenders who repeatedly breach Community Work conditions – it is clear to see why. Many have drug and alcohol issues, poor education, poor work habits, and dysfunctional life styles.”

“There needs to be a more targeted approach, which addresses at an early stage, the underlying causes of offending by this group. This group will respond to a community based approach which provides vocational and life skills training, drug and alcohol treatment, and therapy based treatment. “

“Probation no longer provides that sort of response – its role is to see that offenders comply with the conditions of their sentence. It is time for government to consider the place of community and Maori organisations in providing alternative community work programmes that seek to reduce re-offending, and have a close connection with the offender’s community and whanau.”

The government’s proposed ‘whanau ora’ strategy could be a funder for programmes of this kind.

ENDS

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