May 04, 2022
Māori prison ration still high despite lower muster
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says his Hōkai Rangi strategy is an extraordinary success, despite the ratio of Māori in the prison muster remaining over 50 per cent.
He says there are 3000 fewer people in prison that four years ago, including 1200 fewer Māori.
There is more that could be done outside his portfolio.
“Judges could bail Māori more than they bail non-Māori. The Parole Board could give parole to more Maori than non-Māori. Judges could sentence Māori to home detention and not non-Māori. The rate is staying the same even though the prison population is dropping, and that means everybody is benefiting at the same rate from what we are doing,” he says.
Mr Davis says the number of Māori in prison is the lowest in 17 years.