New Zealanders are fed up with brazen offending and a National government will send criminals a strong message through a raft of changes, including tougher sentences, National Leader Christopher Luxon says.

“In just five years, violent crime has increased by 33 per cent, retail crime has doubled, and gangs are growing faster than Police.

“A National government will ensure the justice system holds offenders accountable through sentences that better reflect the seriousness of a crime, denounce criminal behaviour and show the public that justice is being done. We’ll also give more support to victims, put more focus on prisoners’ rehabilitation and drop the prisoner reduction target.”

National’s ‘Real Consequences for Crime’ policy includes:

1. Stronger sentences for convicted criminals by:

· Imposing a new 40 per cent limit on the amount by which a judge can reduce a sentence

· Restoring the ‘Three Strikes’ law

· Making gang membership an aggravating factor in sentencing

· Removing taxpayer funding for cultural reports

1. More support for victims by:

· Redirecting around $20 million over four years from cultural reports, into supporting victims. This will give a 29 per cent boost to funding that helps victims access services like counselling or transport to attend court

1. Proper rehabilitation for remand prisoners by:

· Allowing them to access programmes that currently are available only to sentenced prisoners

“Victims and the public risk losing faith in the justice system when criminals receive such hefty discounts to their sentences that they don’t reflect the harm caused,” Mr Luxon says.

“Putting a maximum limit on sentence reductions strikes the right balance between denouncing criminal behaviour and allowing judges’ discretion.

“Restoring ‘Three Strikes’ means offenders who have been twice previously convicted and warned for a serious offence, but are convicted a third time, will face the maximum penalty, without the possibility of parole. We will bring it back with clearer guidance on where judges can make exceptions and where they can’t.

“The Sentencing Act allows offenders to request someone they know to speak to the court about the offender’s background. But Labour has used this provision to pour substantial sums of taxpayer money into written ‘cultural reports’ in an effort to achieve lighter sentences.

“This has led to a thriving cottage industry. National will retain the right of an offender to ask the court to hear from a person known to them but will end taxpayer-funded written reports.

“Around $20 million over four years will be re-directed from cultural reports for offenders, to support for victims. This will mean a 29 per cent boost in funding for grants for victims to pay for services like counselling, mental health support, or transport to and from court.

“National will take rehabilitation seriously and extend to remand prisoners the more than 20 rehabilitation programmes that are currently available only to sentenced prisoners.

“Around 23 per cent of prisoners are serving their entire sentence on remand so it makes sense to use that time to address underlying causes of offending, with the aim of reducing re-offending after release.

“The status quo of low rehabilitation rates put public safety at risk.

“Corrections already has extra funding to recruit and retain more prison officers. National will continue that recruitment drive and if capacity pressures arise, we’ll fund them out of future Budgets.

“Today's announcement is part of National's wider plan to restore law and order. We have already announced a policy that gives Police extra tools to tackle gangs, and we have announced our intention to establish Young Offender Military Academies to set serious repeat young offenders on a better life path.

“A National government will unashamedly make public safety and victims a main priority of the justice system.”

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