Quaker calls for Penal Commission

A strong plea for New Zealand to establish a Commision on penal reform, was made by the 2011 Quaker lecturer Tony Taylor. He suggested the time might be ripe for ideas about penal reform. He saw a glimmer of hope in the recent comments of The Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Finance, Bill English. He is reported as telling a forum of the Families Commission on 11th May that prisons were a “moral and fiscal failure”. He said, “Prisons shouldn't be built any more ... we must challenge recidivism, consider long term welfare ... improve the decison-making process ... (and urged the forum to) please come and scare us with ideas” Tony Taylor urged, “Bring on the ideas”

Tony was delivering the annual Quaker Lecture in Whanganui last weekend. Tony is Emiritus Professor of Psychology of Victoria University. The lecture was titled “Changing the Prison System”.

The Penal Commission he proposes should be accountable to Parliament and regularly review progress in penal matters. In particular it should aim to keep prisons only for incorrigible offenders, rather than the majority of prisoners who could earn redemption by other means. The Commission would deal with the rehabilitation of offenders and assistance to their families and attend to the human rights of victims and their families.

Tony Taylor stated our prison system was overdue for reform. The general public had long been silent on the subject compared to a vociferous minority demanding more of the same and harder penalties. Our prison rate, 180 per 100,000 of the population is second only to the USA in the Western World. Finland on the other hand has reduced from 180 to 50 prisoners per 100,000 population. We should do the same.

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