ACT Fights For Open Justice

ACT New Zealand Justice Spokesman Stephen Franks today commended his colleague Deborah Coddington for trying to achieve openness in the face of the justice establishment's attempts to ensure that secrecy surrounds offenders and their crimes.

"I am proud to be Miss Coddington's colleague, and completely support her moves toward open justice," Mr Franks said.

"Name suppression must go. By keeping offenders' identities and crimes secret, the justice establishment is trying to ensure that the public never gets a chance to forgive or forget.

"These criminals are released when they are no longer deemed a risk - yet their neighbours and co-workers deserve to know who they are dealing with.

"When offenders truly give up offending, it is these people who will know. They deserve the right to forgive and forget - and may do so more genuinely than justice officials and politicians," Mr Franks said.

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