“Election after election, the Church has been confronted with the spectre of politicians outbidding each other on the let’s-get-tough-on-crime bandwagon,” says Glyn Carpenter, National Director of New Zealand Christian Network.

“There is widespread support within the Christian community for a multi-party initiative on the reduction of imprisonment numbers, and a long-term criminal-justice strategy,” says Mr Carpenter.

“What we don’t need is another election where criminal-justice issues are used as a political football. What we need is an agreement on the part of the political parties to work together on this issue, with the community, and produce a long-term plan to reduce crime and minimise the resulting social fallout from criminal activities in our communities.

“The Finance Minister Bill English’s recent statements on the moral and fiscal failures of the prison system suggest a discussion is overdue. Churches would be willing participants in that process, and would be keen to see greater emphasis on restorative justice, effective healing for victims, and higher levels of accountability by offenders for the harm they have caused.”

“The community has been sidelined in the law-and-order debate. It has largely been left to politicians, the media, and lobby groups that don’t reflect broad public opinion. It’s time for change,” concluded Mr Carpenter.
New Zealand Christian Network is a broad-spectrum network of churches and Christian leaders, with a Board of Reference that includes leaders from all the main denominations. It seeks to present a biblically orthodox position on issues, reflecting the views of the majority of Christians in New Zealand.

ENDS

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