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August 12, 2022
Three strikes repeal leaves longer sentences intact
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On August 12, 2022
Download AudioThe head of Restorative Practices Aotearoa says now the three strikes law has been repealed, there needs to be action to reduce the sentences of people caught up by it.
Mike Hinton says most of those affected by the law rushed through in 2010 by the National-ACT Government were Māori.
He says it did nothing to deter crime or make offenders responsible for the consequences of their actions, and only served to reduce the discretion of judges.
“Even without the three strikes legislation, judges can still impose the maximum sentence depending on each individual case, but those already impacted and incarcerated by the three strikes legislation surely should have their cases reviewed at the very least,” Mr Hinton says.
He says with everything that is known about how the justice system works for Māori, the three strikes law was blatant racism.
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