August 23, 2016

Has the criminal justice system been compromised?

One of New Zealand’s longest-serving judges, the Honourable Sir Ron Young, will address serious issues facing New Zealand’s justice system when he gives a public lecture at the University of Waikato next month.

Sir Ron’s lecture, “Has the New Zealand Criminal Justice System been compromised?”, will outline how the right of a defendant to a fair trial, and the public’s right to a fair and properly funded criminal justice system has been compromised in recent years and remains vulnerable to further compromise.

Sir Ron says this vulnerability stems from a variety of sources. “Those sources includes reduced legal aid for defence lawyers; unavailability of expert witnesses for the defence; reduced and changed funding for Crown solicitors and Crown Law; the effect of lobby groups such as the Sensible Sentencing Trust; and some recent legislative changes including the three strikes law; the effect of the media especially when reporting sentencing; victim involvement in sentencing; and various policing initiatives.”

Sir Ron was appointed to the District Court bench in 1988 and became Chief District Court Judge in 1993. He became President of the Electoral Commission in 2000 and was appointed a High Court Judge in June 2001. Many of his trials were high-profile criminal and civil cases. He retired in 2015 but remains on the bench of the Vanuatu Court of Appeal. He is now based in Wairarapa.

His lecture is sponsored by Hamilton law firm Harkness Henry Lawyers in partnership with Waikato University. The annual lectures have been running since 1992 and address issues relating to the development of New Zealand jurisprudence. They are traditionally published as the lead article in the subsequent Waikato Law Review.

The Harkness Henry lecture takes place on 7 September, 6:15pm in Lecture Room PWC in the Management Building, with pre-lecture drinks from 5:30pm in room N.1.03, New Law Building on Hillcrest Road.

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