media release
28 February 2007

Drug Treatment Units Desperately Needed

Maxim Institute welcomes the start of the Government’s “Effective Interventions in Criminal Justice” package, beginning with the announcement of three new drug treatment units this week. The units will open over the next two years and will be run by specialist providers.

“This new emphasis on rehabilitation is long overdue” says Maxim Institute CEO, Greg Fleming.

“While punishment is always a reality of the criminal justice system, we must also recognise the factors which lead to re-offending and indeed to crime in the first place. Drug and alcohol abuse make crime more likely and dealing with them is vital if we are to build a more secure society.”

“Addiction is a force that underlies a huge amount of New Zealand’s crime and simply locking people up won’t solve the problem. If we are to succeed in reconnecting offenders with their communities, as well as punishing them, then we must tackle the problem head-on”, says Mr Fleming.

“The Government is to be congratulated for its ongoing work on this and other issues around criminal justice, aimed at reducing re-offending. Its package of alternatives, including the new addiction services, charts a way forward to a safer society”, says Greg Fleming.

“The obligations on prisoners entering the programmes, such as the requirement to submit to drug tests, and the commitment to recognise the need to reform, offer additional assurance that the government is serious, and the programmes are too. These conditions are small steps towards rebuilding personal responsibility towards society and they are to be welcomed”, concludes Fleming.

Greg Fleming sits on the reference board of Re-thinking Crime and Punishment, a strategic initiative to raise the level of public debate about the use of prison and alternative forms of punishment in New Zealand.

ENDS

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