Are Gangs the Symptom or the Cause?

Lots of interesting articles in the latest Rethinking Crime and Punishment (RECAP) newsletter.  Not least:

At the recent Police Leadership conference, Police Minister, Hon. Judith Collins stated that
she didn't adhere to the “widely held belief that it is society's fault that gangs exist.” In her
view, “gangs are not the result of people who believe they do not have a stake in their
communities and their country. Gangs create the people who believe they do not have a
stake in society.” She stated that she had a policy of not engaging with gangs and would
not knowingly even meet with anyone she knew to be a gang member.

(read the rest of her speech here)

At the same conference, Kim Workman offered his own perspective. Drawing on his
experience as a Police Officer in Masterton, he said that within crime families, and within
whanau living on the edge of poverty, were people who wanted a better life for themselves
and their whanau. These people were prepared to support proactive policing if it was done
within a framework of engagement, of mutual trust and respect. He compared Los Angeles
'iron fist' approach to gangs with New York's strategy of community investment and notes
that the New York approach is having much greater success.

(read the rest of his speech here)

Collins seems to have mistaken a "scientifically established fact" for a "widely held belief" but bless her cotton socks, why should she know anything about the social and cultural forces that affect the nation?

Let me know what you think, :-)

Stuff Article on Rimutaka's Faith Based Unit

Thanks to Hamish for pointing this out, it starts like this,

It's a topsy-turvy world where a killer is held up as a role model of morality, Mongrel Mob and Black Power gangsters sit tattoo to tattoo and talk about their feelings and the weapon of choice for settling scores is the gospel according to St Matthew, chapter 18, verses 15 to 17.

Everything about Rimutaka Prison's faith-based unit marks it out as different from the rest of the world behind the razor wire. The first thing you see is the wooden cross in the window of the unit's library. There are trees and picnic tables, songs and laughter. Within these walls, inmates are called brothers. 

Read the rest here

RECAP Newsletter Oct 2010

is now out, including

Highlights from the Prison Fellowship Conference
We got so much out of this year's conference that we thought we would share some of our favourite presentations with you. Some of the highlights included:

• Judge David Carruthers on how halfway houses could improve recidivism rates in New Zealand
• Professor Alison Liebling on the moral performance of public and private prisons, and
• MP Chester Burrows on the fine line between victim and offender

The Long March: the Sallies, the Mob and the fight against P

In collaboration with the Mongrel Mob, the Salvation Army has designed the 'Hauora' treatment programme to help gang members and their families overcome their addictions to P. It is showing real signs of success. We bring you an update on the programme and with a little help from Dennis O'Reilly, call for more agencies to engage with gangs.

New Youth Justice Legislation: the most significant amendment since 1989

October's edition of "Court in the Act" looks at the changes to the Youth Justice Legislation. According to Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft, “these amendments are the most significant in the history of the Youth Court since its inception in 1989.” Although these amendments are "an opportunity for real progress", Judge Becroft highlights a number of issues that need to be properly thought through.

New Police Statistics released: Family Violence rates are up
and it's a good thing
 
October marked the release of the latest Police statistics, which showed a significant rise in the rate of Family Violence - from 48,389 recorded offences in 2008/2009 to 54,104 recorded offences in the 2009/10 fiscal year. Although an 11.8 per cent increase in family violence offences in the last year looks like bad news for New Zealand, it could actually be a positive result.

New NZ research: Not in My Backyard? Crime in the
Neighbourhood

Contrary to much political and media discourse, the results of a recent New Zealand study suggest that the New Zealand public does not regard crime and disorder as escalating or serious problems in local neighbourhoods.

New US research: Effect of Mental Health Courts on Arrests and Jail Days

A new multisite study from the US has found that those going through Mental Health Courts have better outcomes across five key public safety measures than matched offenders who don't.

New UK research: The Reality of Short Term Prison Sentences

The Howard League for Penal Reform and the Imperial College, London have released some preliminary findings from a large qualitative study into the views of Prison Governors on the use of short term sentences.

For full articles and more go here