Sensible Sentencing ’s support for Three Strikes ill Founded
The proposed ‘three strikes’ legislation, being promoted by the ACT Party and Sensible Sentencing Trust, would not have
made any difference to the sentence imposed on Paul Dally, whose murder of Karla Cardno was described by the Parole
Board Chairman, as ‘sadistic and inhumane’,” said Kim Workman, Director of Rethinking Crime and Punishment. Dally is due
before the Parole Board this week.
“Rethinking Crime and Punishment has always taken the view that there is a small group of offenders, whose release
presents an unacceptably high risk to the public. We consider there is a case for the continued incapacitation of such
offenders, in a way that does not breach the Bill of Rights.
“Three strikes will not come into effect for about 15 years. What the New Zealand public needs is something that is
going to safeguard the public now. Instead, an amendment to the Sentencing Act, to provide for murder in certain cases
to be included under the preventive detention provisions, would ensure that where the risk of release was extremely
high, the High Court would need to be satisfied that it was safe to do so. That could result in prisoners being held in
prison indefinitely. That amendment would deal effectively with the likes of Graeme Burton and Paul Dally.”
“Garth McVicar is right in claiming that the National–led government has implemented most of the hard-line justice
policies sought by the Sensible Sentencing in recent years. The shame is that most of them won’t reduce reoffending,
including the proposed three strikes provision.”
ENDS