May 06, 2019
No brainer to make violent inmates think twice
New Zealand First law and order spokesperson Darroch Ball says cumulative time for assaults on corrections officers will make inmates think twice before striking out.
Mr Ball's bill will also impose mandatory sentences on all people who assault first responders including police, firefighters and ambulance staff.
He says it's no deterrence if sentences for prison assaults are served concurrently rather than added on to the end of an existing sentence, especially in an environment that seems to be getting more violent.
"In the last six years there has been over 2500 reported assaults so it is happening on a daily occurrence and that is the environment these corrections officers are working in. Anything we can do to make their job safer, I think it's a no brainer really. Over the same time period we have had some very serious assaults and around 75 incidents have ended up needing hospital treatment," Mr Ball says.
He believes there is sufficient cross party support to get the bill passed.
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