4. Question No. 4—JusticeDr PARMJEET PARMAR (ACT) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 4—Justice4. Dr PARMJEET PARMAR (ACT) to the Minister of Justice: How will the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill ensure consequences for repeat serious violent and sexual offenders while delivering justice for victims?Hon NICOLE McKEE (Associate Minister of Justice): Yesterday the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament and earlier today I delivered the bill's first reading speech. I've heard from many people that repeat serious sexual and violent offenders avoided the consequences of their actions under the old three-strikes regime. This Government is determined to hold offenders accountable for their actions. The sentencing principles included in the new three-strikes regime will require the judiciary to impose stricter sentences for repeat offenders and guides the judiciary to not take the implications of a strike into account when determining the length of a sentence. Under this Government offenders will face the consequences of their actions and victims will receive the justice that they deserve.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: What consequences will offenders face under the new and improved three-strikes regime?Hon NICOLE McKEE: The Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill will ensure that offenders who do the crime will do the time. Upon receiving a sentence for a first strike offenders will be warned of the consequences of further strikes. Second-strike offenders will be denied parole at their second strike and offenders who receive their third strike will receive the maximum penalty for their sentence without parole. After six long years of a soft on crime approach the victims of repeat violent and sexual offenders deserve justice and this Government is going to make sure that they get it.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: How will the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill ensure that offenders convicted for murder receive appropriate sentences?Hon NICOLE McKEE: The bill ensures that individuals convicted of a murder on their second strike receive a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of at least 17 years. If the offender pleads guilty they will receive a minimum sentence of 15 years to incentivise the timely delivery of justice and expedite court proceedings. For offenders convicted of murder on their third strike the bill mandates a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of 20 years. If they plead guilty they will serve at least 18 years. Serious offenders deserve serious punishment. This Government will not be turning a blind eye.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Is this three-strikes initiative value for money given that it will cost up to $10 million per year and the advice is that there will be no impact on community safety the number of victims trust in the justice system or reduced recidivism and her own officials said in respect of the last three-strikes regime that there was no consistent pattern to changing crime?Hon NICOLE McKEE: Will this be value for money at a price of a maximum of $10 million at a 10-year period when we start locking up those very serious repeat violent offenders? To the victims in our community absolutely it's value for money. For the people that are trying to run businesses and have retail crime on them absolutely it's going to be just for them. It's not that we can put a monetary price on it; it's that we put a value on victims in our communities their safety and their security.Hon David Seymour: Has she considered the opposite approach of setting a target to reduce the prison population saving money letting the criminals out and seeing victimisation rates go up 30 percent?Hon NICOLE McKEE: The last six years with the target of reducing the prison population has not been—SPEAKER: Tell you what—hang on. Start answering again without the reference to the past six years. The question was had the member considered it? That doesn't need a history lesson. Answer the question as it's asked.Hon NICOLE McKEE: We want to make sure that for our victims of crime those that are in the community they see penalties sentences and very serious violent offenders being locked up and taken out of their communities so they are not re-victimising victims over and over again and I think the value of that is a just one.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: Will offenders receive discounted sentences to compensate for any loss of parole as occurred under the previous three-strikes regime?Hon NICOLE McKEE: Certainly not. The new bill clearly states that courts should not reduce sentences to avoid giving an offender a strike or to compensate for loss of parole eligibility if they do get a strike. This Government will not be wrapping repeat serious violent and sexual offenders in cotton wool. If they are willing to repeatedly make victims of innocent New Zealanders then they will do the time in prison for it under this Government.