Criminal Justice Advisory Group public meetings; related research and reports

Mon 05 Nov 2018

The Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group – Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora is seeking feedback from the public about the criminal ...

The Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group – Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora is seeking feedback from the public about the criminal justice system.

Te Uepū is currently holding meetings and public drop-in sessions around the country (details below). You can also submit feedback in writing.

Te Uepū Advisory Chair Chester Borrows said:

“We’re focused on hearing from people whose lives and work are affected by the criminal justice system, and canvassing ideas on how it can be improved.”

For upcoming dates and locations see the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata / Safe and Effective Justice website.

You can also submit feedback online via the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata website or make a submission or request a meeting by writing directly to Te Uepū.

Background

Justice Minister Andrew Little announced the Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group – Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora in July of this year. Shila Nair and Quentin Hix were later added to Te Uepū. Ms Nair has worked in family violence for more than 16 years, at Shakti Community Council.

Criminal Justice Summit

The first public engagement of the reforms was a Criminal Justice Summit held in August 2018. More than 600 people attended. Justice Minister Andrew Little said:

"To create a fair and just system we need input from a wide range of New Zealanders. That’s why it’s important that we’ve been hearing from victims, NGOs, academics, Māori, Pasifika and a broad spectrum of the public."

Highlights from the Summit are on the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata website. A number of Ministerial speeches are also available:

Everyone deserves to be safe in their communities - launch of Justice Summit, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Criminal Justice Summit: Plenary discussion on over-representation of Māori in the system, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis
Justice Summit: addressing family and sexual violence, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Justice (family and sexual violence) Jan Logie
Justice Summit: Discussion on improving our criminal justice system, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis

During open discussions and following the summit, questions were raised about whether the summit focused too heavily on offenders without enough focus on victims and whether there was adequate representation of Māori. An article from the Spinoff provides an overview of the concerns and responses from advocates and government representatives. A wide range of additional commentary on the reforms is included in the media list below.

Related research and reports

New Zealand

Coercive control : to criminalize or not to criminalize?
by Tolmie, Julia. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 2018, 18(1): 50-66 Sage, 2017

Social entrapment: A realistic understanding of the criminal offending of primary victims of intimate partner violence
by Tolmie, Julia | Smith, Rachel | Short, Jacqueline | Wilson, Denise | Sach, Julie. New Zealand Law Review, 2018, 2: 181-218 Legal Research Foundation, 2018

Tolmie, J. (2018). Considering victim safety when sentencing intimate partner offenders. In K. Fitz-Gibbon, S. Walklate, J. McCulloch, & JM. Maher (Eds.). Intimate partner violence, risk and security: Securing women’s lives in a global world. Routledge. (Note: NZFVC does not have this publication.)

They're our Whānau (2018) is a report that explores Māori views about the justice system. It summarises findings from a survey of more than 900 Māori and includes a literature review. This research was conducted by ActionStation and supported by students from the University of Otago in Wellington under the supervision of Māori public health researcher Dr Keri Lawson-Te Aho and Director of ActionStation Laura O’Connell Rapira. For more information watch the video recording of the report launch.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has made 31 evidence briefs available online. The briefs, from 2016-17, review justice interventions including a range of areas related to family and sexual violence. MOJ has also published seven fact sheets on different aspects of the justice system, and the MOJ Annual Report for 2017-18.

The New Zealand Bar Association (NZBA) has published the Access to Justice Report (2018), discussing ways NZBA could contribute to improved access to justice and making recommendations, including on legal aid.

The most recent of State of Care report from the Office of the Children's Commissioner examined the care of young people with high risk and alleged offending behaviour. The report, Maiea Te Tūruapō, Fulfilling the Vision (2018), recommends a shift away from the current state care system to a kaupapa Māori driven approach. Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft spoke about the report in a media release.

Family Violence Death Review Committee. (2016). Family Violence Death Review Committee: Fifth report: January 2014 to December 2015. Wellington, New Zealand: Health Quality and Safety Commission. Available from the library (see Chapter 5 - the Justice response)

International

Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (2018). The forgotten victims: Prisoner experience of victimisation and engagement with the criminal justice system: Key findings and future directions. Melbourne, Vic: ANROWS. Available from the library (On women's experiences of intimate partner violence after being released from prison).

Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (2018). Perpetrators of family violence. Special collection. Melbourne, Vic: ANROWS. Available online

Dowling, C., Morgan, A., Hulme, S., Manning, M., & Wong, G. (2018). Protection orders for domestic violence: A systematic review (Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 551). Canberra, ACT: Australian Institute of Criminology. Available from the library

Maher, JM., Spivakovsky, C., McCulloch, J., McGowan, J. Beavis, K., Lea, M., Cadwallader, J., Sands, T. (2018). Women, disability and violence: Barriers to accessing justice. Final report (Horizons, 02/18). Sydney, NSW: ANROWS. Available online

Troy, V., McPherson, K.E., Emslie, C., & Gilchrist, E. (2018). The feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness, and effectiveness of parenting and family support programs delivered in the criminal justice system: A systematic review. Journal of Child and Family Studies. Available online

Goodmark, L. (2017). Justice as a tertiary prevention strategy (pp.185-207). In: C.M. Renzetti, D.R. Follingstad & A.L. Coker (Eds.). Preventing intimate partner violence: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Bristol, England: Policy Press. Available from the library

Hawkins, S. & Luxton, C. (2014). Women’s access to justice: From reporting to sentencing. London: All Party Group on Domestic and Sexual Violence & Women’s Aid. Available from the library

Creative Interventions Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Stop Interpersonal Violence. Available online (final version now available) (see in particular Section 4F: Taking accountability)

Selected media

Dearth of Māori rehab programmes in prisons questioned, Radio NZ, 19.11.2018

Restorative justice in a Māori community, E-Tangata, 18.11.2018

Restorative justice answers to grim prison stats, Newsroom, 07.11.2018

Tracey McIntosh: investing in state care not state prisons, Radio NZ, 28.10.2018

Fixing the justice system will take a generation, Newsroom, 26.10.2018

ANZASW statement on Judge Doogue’s Address to the Law Foundation, Press Release: Aotearoa NZ Association of Social Workers, Scoop, 24.10.2018

Mokopunatanga element needed in justice debate, Waatea News, 23.10.2018

Generations of Disadvantage: A View from the District Court Bench, 22nd Annual New Zealand Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Commemorative Address, Chief District Court Judge for New Zealand Jan-Marie Doogue, 15.10.2018

Kōrero Pono: a multi-media exhibition of true stories from NZ's criminal justice system, Radio NZ, 15.10.2018

Justice system "in big trouble", Māori Television, 15.10.2018

Criminal justice panel seeking victims' views, Waatea News, 15.10.2018