National's prison policy ridiculed (NZ)

[Blue_Tires]

Source: The Dominion Post (NZ)

National's "lock 'em up and throw away the key" policy has been greeted with ridicule by people working in the sector, who say it is unnecessary, would be expensive, and would create havoc in prisons.

National says the "two strikes" plan, which denies parole to anyone convicted of two violent offences, would put an extra 572 offenders in prison over the next three years and would require a new prison to be built at a cost of $314 million, plus $43 million a year to keep them there.

Given that most offences are committed by criminals aged between 20 and 40, it is likely that inmate numbers would continue to rise at this rate, particularly with a steady diet, a reduction in drug use, and a safer environment raising prisoners' life expectancy.

Justice Minister Phil Goff said the policy would make no difference to serious offenders such as William Bell and Graeme Burton, whom he believed would not be released till they were too old to be a risk.



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