YOUTH JUSTICE DECISION SMELLS FISHY

7th December 2016

Rob Muldoon famously said, ‘When you find yourself in a hole the best thing to do is stop digging,’ but it would appear this Government is determined to dig harder and faster. McVicar

Garth McVicar, founder of the Sensible Sentencing Trust says everything about today’s announcement to increase the age of youth justice smells fishy.

“Coming just hours after John Key's resignation and hard on the heels of disastrous crime figures we can’t help but wonder if the timing of this announcement was a deliberate subterfuge.”

“It appears that many of our politicians see their main role as duping the public rather than dealing with the problem. One only needs to look at the facts to see how the public have been deceived and lied to:"

• 1989: Current Youth Justice System introduced, has been the principal training ground and feeder for today’s adult career criminals. Definitely not the 'jewel in the New Zealand justice crown' as the Ministers would have us believe."

• 1999: Lowering the drinking age. Despite all the promises this piece of legislation has single handedly contributed to the escalation of youth offending and a ballooning prison population

• 2009: Anti smacking law to supposedly ensure children can live in a safe and secure environment that is free from violence. DEspite the assurance violence against children continues unabated.

• 2016: Increase age of youth justice: Ministers Adams and Tolley shift the goal posts once again despite opposition from police and youth aid workers and vast majority of the public.

“The promoters of increasing the age of youth justice ignore the fact that various policies of past and present Governments have created an extremely dysfunctional and violent society yet the best they can do is put another Band-Aid on the wound in an attempt to stem the bleeding and disguise the real cause.”

“They just keep digging.” ENDS

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87302156/Youth-Justice-age-to-be-raised-to-18-Anne-Tolley-announces?cid=app-iPad

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11720037

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