August 05, 2022
ACT promises to bring back three strikes law
ACT MP Nicole McKee says bringing back three strikes legislation would be one of the first acts of an ACT Party-National coalition.
Legislation has gone through to repeal the Sentencing and Parole Reform Act 2010, which Justice Minister Kiritapu Allen says is a bad law that disproportionately affected Māori.
Ms McKee acknowledged it had a minimal deterrent effect, but says 12 years isn’t long enough to properly assess its impact given the length of sentences for serious violent crimes.
She says there are only 24 people currently serving third strike sentences, but it’s about the victims.
“Nowhere throughout this piece of repeal legislation have the victims been consulted in any way. Even the Human Rights Commission did not place the word ‘victim’ in their report to the select committee, not once, so I think there is a huge piece of legislation that misses out on a big part of the community and that is the victims and their voices,” Ms McKee says.
Justice Minister Kiritapu Allen says victims were forced to undergo lengthy and traumatic court cases because a mandatory maximum sentence from a third strike conviction meant there was no incentive for offenders to make an early plea.