JustSpeak on Campus Presents: Lets Talk About Police Discretion

JustSpeak on Campus will be holding their second forum on the topic of ‘Police Discretion and its role in discrimination in the Criminal Justice System. The forum will be held 7th of October at 6:30pm in Lecture Theatre HMLT104 at Kelburn Campus, Victoria University of Wellington. The forum is free and everyone is welcome.

Moana Jackson’s seminal 1987 He Whaipaanga Hou report underscores that discretion is central to discrimination in the Criminal Justice System. Discrimination against Maori in our Criminal Justice System is significant, with Maori accounting for 15% of the population but 52% of the prison population. This overrepresentation occurs despite longitudinal studies illustrating that Maori and Pakeha from the same socioeconomic backgrounds do not offend at different levels. The forum seeks to explore the developments in police discretion since the release of Jackson’s report almost 30 years ago.

The speakers for this event include Kim Workman, former head of prisons, founder of Rethinking Crime and Punishment, and Stout Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington; Inspector Damin Ormsby from the New Zealand Police; and Moana Jackson, researcher, lawyer, Maori rights activist and author of the He Whaipaanga Hou report.

JustSpeak on Campus Chair, Jordan Anderson, says that “We hope that this forum will highlight again”

Further reading:

Maori in the Criminal Justice System. He Whaipaanga Hou. – Report by Moana Jackson http://rethinking.catalystdemo.net.nz/eserv/rcp:649/Maori_and_the_Criminal_Jutsice_System_.pdf

Maori and the Criminal Justice System: a Youth Perspective – Report by JustSpeak http://justspeak.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/JustSpeak-Maori-and-the-Criminal-Justice-System-A-Youth-Perspective.pdf

ENDS

© Scoop Media