“Who can talk tougher? Labour or NZ First?”
Tariana Turia, Co-leader of the Maori Party
Wednesday 18 April 2007
“Following Labour’s support of New Zealand First’s Bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12; it
has revealed its own punitive under-belly by including a similar view in its own discussion document” said Täriana
Turia.
Mrs Turia issued her statement today in response to the release of the discussion document reviewing the Childrens Young
Persons and their Families Act 1989 by Child Youth and Family Minister Ruth Dyson.
“What is even more duplicitous” says Mrs Turia, “is that the responsibility for such thinking is being attributed to
CYFS practitioners supposedly concerned about a small number of persistent offenders”.
“Having supported NZ First’s ‘talking tough’ tactics to crack the rising juvenile crime ‘walnut’, Labour now brings out
its own sledge hammer” said Mrs Turia. “It has a dollar each way, claiming as always that this idea is not policy”.
“While the Government intention is to move the minority of cases from the Family Court to the Youth Court, their ‘iron
fist in a velvet glove’ approach will have the same punitive outcomes” said Mrs Turia.
“The hard line on crime, which is always a vote winner as an election year approaches, has resulted in the building of
more jails and the subsequent problems now being faced by a Corrections Department, simply unable to cope” said Mrs
Turia.
“This latest initiative by the government will increase pressures on Child Youth and Family Facilities and the Courts –
it is totally unnecessary” said Mrs Turia.
“Young offenders have always been made to take responsibility for their actions under the current Children, Young
Persons and Their Families Act.”
“I would remind the Minister of her own words -The CYPF Act is a touchstone for how well we as a society care for and
support our children and young people” said Mrs Turia. “Internationally this Act has been lauded as progressive
legislation which encourages processes whereby both the family and the youth offender, can accept responsibility for the
offending; and work out a means of setting it right”.
“What we really need, is to put increased effort into supporting families – not finding bigger and bolder means of
punishment and control” said Mrs Turia.
"An emphasis on punitive measures erodes some of the most significant and world renown intents of the CYPF Act – namely,
the centrality and importance of the whanau to the care and protection of tamariki, and to youth justice" said Mrs
Turia.
"Instead all that 'lock-em up' strategies do, is to disempower whanau and re-empower authorities".
Background
· The NZ First, Young Offenders (Serious Crimes) Bill is currently before the Law and Order Select Committee. It
proposes that the age of criminal responsibility should be reduced from 14 years to 12 years for serious and persistent
offending.
·
The discussion document includes a ‘suggestion’for “purely indictable offences committed by children between 12 and 13
years of age to be considered by the Youth Court; and another ‘suggestion’ that “in cases of serious and/or persistent
offending, lowering the age of criminal prosecution from 14 to 12 years so these matters are dealt with in the Youth
Court rather than in the Family Court” (page 14).
ENDS