May 18, 2015
UN Committee questions Maori imprisonment rate
The Government has been slated by the United Nations for the high proportion of Maori in the criminal justice systems.
A review of New Zealand’s performance under the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel Inhuman and Degrading Treatment said there were still too many Maori people in prisons in comparison to other groups.
It questioned the number of people with mental health issues and other disabilities in prison, and also said the government needs to do more to stop violence against women and children.
Chief Human Rights Commissioner David Rutherford says the commission has highlighted many of the same issues.
He says the police’s Turning the Tide partnership with iwi to cut the rate of Maori offending was praised, and the UN committee felt that approach could be applied to other areas of the justice system.
It also called for the government to better fund the Independent Police Conduct Authority and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.
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