Young Jonathan: Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill — Third Reading 
Young Jonathan: Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:663;Page:11239] 
JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) 
: 
 I am pleased to speak on the third reading of the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill. After listening to the previous speaker Hone Harawira perhaps I can pose a question to him as he posed one to us in terms of the attitude of the son of a prisoner who was sentenced to life imprisonment. Perhaps we should also ask about the effect on the son of the man whom that prisoner may have killed. I think we need to understand that this bill is about victims. It is about the protection of our society. 
For some time there has been a growing tide of concern at the rising rate of violent offending in New Zealand and objection to the length of sentences given to serious repeat offenders. Almost 92 percent of voters in the 1999 referendum voted in the affirmative for the proposition that restitution and more support be provided for victims of crime and that violent offenders be subject to longer prison sentences. Ninety-four percent of the 1118 submissions made to the Law and Order Committee supported the bill. New Zealanders want sentencing to be tougher for the worst repeat violent offenders. 
I acknowledge the issues that the previous speaker raised about addressing rehabilitation. This bill does not pretend to address those issues. This bill is about sending a signal to the people of New Zealand that this Government in association with the ACT Party is serious in its concerns about violent offending and is prepared to make sentences tougher and to ensure that repeat violent offenders do not get out on parole and thereby have the opportunity to repeat their crimes. 
The 1999 referendum was instigated by Norm Withers after his elderly mother was brutally attacked in Christchurch. The offender had committed 56 previous offences but was released early on parole which gave him the opportunity to attack Norm Withers’ mother. Since that time we have had numerous cases of murders committed by offenders who were on parole. William Bell and Graeme Burton are the most well-publicised cases. Both had over 100 convictions. Both were convicted killers who committed murder while on parole. 
When this reform bill was first proposed the  
New Zealand Herald  
ran a poll because it believed that such a toughening of the law would damage our international reputation. I read through some of those comments to see what people on the streets of New Zealand thought. One particular comment amongst the many caught my attention. It was written by a person who identified himself or herself as Akiwi. At 9.30 a.m. on Friday 20 March 2009 that person stated: “It’s shocking everytime some right steps are planned to be taken to fix the crime situation some idiotic thinking tries to stop it in the name of human rights as if all the human rights are meant only for criminals.” I think that comment puts it well. Our Prime Minister said some years ago that where there is a balancing of rights to be done between criminals and victims we take a side and that side will be on the side of the victim. 
This bill is about supporting victims. This bill is about addressing the issue of repeat violent offending and ensuring that it does not happen to the extent that it has in the past. The purpose and the principles guiding the corrections system as spelt out in the Corrections Act 2004 are “to improve public safety and contribute to the maintenance of a just society”. 
I will finish my speech with an excellent quote from our Minister of Corrections the Hon Judith Collins. She said recently that “none of the 41 qualifying offences for three strikes is relatively minor. All involve serious violence or sexual offending and all have a maximum penalty of at least seven years in prison. Perhaps more importantly they all have a long and profound impact on the lives of victims. In defending the rights of offenders critics of three strikes downplay the goal of the legislation which is to protect the public from criminals who have a track record of serious offending. The bill focuses on the repeat nature of offending rather than just the offence itself. An offender who has committed three serious offences will in all likelihood go on to commit a fourth. By imposing maximum sentences without parole three strikes gives offenders much less opportunity to do so because they will be in prison.” Thank you.