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Are the Criminal Libel laws in need of revision:
Red Robed (The Monarch's) Judges in New Zealand: The New Zealand Herald * Tuesday, October 2, 2007 NEWS
Judges get new options for non-jail terms Law changes a bid to cut rising inmate numbers and get tough on parole
NEW POWERS: Judges have greater choices when sentencing offenders. PICTURE / PAUL ESTCOURT
Three new non-custodial sentences can be imposed by courts and tougher rules around parole also kick in. Justice Minister Mark Burton said the country's prison population was nearing 8500. "Today we take a significant step forward in confronting our rising prison population," he said yesterday. The Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (formerly part of the Criminal Justice Reform Bill) created the new sentences of:
n Home
detention — which becomes a sentence in its own right, rather than a way of
serving a sentence of n Intensive supervision — a more comprehensive version of the supervision sentence. n Community detention — an electronically monitored curfew. Changes have also been made to community work sentences. For example, the court is now able to authorise up to 20 per cent of the hours to be converted into training in basic work and living skills. "Prison is not always the answer, and from today the courts will have more options to both issue penalties for offending and also to address the causes of an offender's behaviour," Mr Burton said. "Home detention in particular has high compliance rates and low re-conviction and re-imprisonment rates compared to prison sentences." Mr Burton said the Government would continue to take a hard line on "serious and hardened criminals". Other Criminal Justice Reform Bill changes also came into force yesterday, including the Parole Amendment Act 2007 that: n Stated parole was a privilege, not a right. n Removed parole for offenders sentenced to 12 months or less. n Allowed offenders sentenced to more than 12 months to be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of their sentence but they could be kept in for the entire period. n Created a new residential restrictions condition of parole, similar to home detention. n Gave the Parole Board the power to call witnesses. n Extended to police the ability to apply for recall of an offender on the grounds that they pose an undue risk to the community. n Allowed the Parole Board to receive confidential information where disclosure could prejudice the maintenance of the law or endanger any person's safety.
Submissions on the bill were reopened to look at changes to parole after Graeme Burton murdered Karl Kuchenbecker while on parole in January.
- NZPA
'Today we take a significant step forward in confronting
Justice Minister Mark Burton |
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