Republicans Defend Corrections Department
The Republican Party today defended the Corrections Department against “uninformed, knee-jerk bullying” after the
National Party criticized low security classifications for some murderers.
Hans Laven, Republican spokesperson on Corrections urged National to get its facts straight before using Corrections as
a political football and creating unnecessary fear in the community.
“What Simon Powers fails to tell the public is that very few murderers ever re-offend at all, because most murders are
one-off crimes of passion.
“Classification of prisoners and other Corrections policies should be based on intelligent research, not political
gamesmanship.”
Mr Laven expressed faith that the Department constantly reviewed its practices to close loopholes that would always be
exploited by a few, and says
“It is time to show some appreciation to our Corrections staff for what is a difficult job and to acknowledge their good
work. NZ has made significant progress world-leading rehabilitative work.”
ENDS