Public Protection Orders

Judith Collins has announced:

Justice Minister Judith Collins introduced legislation to Parliament today that creates special orders to better protect the public from serious sexual or violent offenders. 

The Public Safety (Public ) Bill will allow the High to order offenders who pose a very high risk of imminent and serious sexual or violent offending after they are released from jail, to be detained.

(PPOs) would see offenders held in a secure facility until the High Court is convinced they are safe for release.

“This is committed to delivering on our election promise to introduce a civil detention regime for the most high-risk offenders,” Ms Collins says.

“The safety of New Zealanders is paramount and it should not be jeopardised by a small number of offenders who continue to be a serious threat after they are released from prison.

“PPOs are a new tool to deal with society's worst offenders in a way that current sentencing and release provisions, such as extended supervision orders and preventative detention, don't allow.” …

Offenders subject to a PPO will be able to seek a court review of their detention at any time. If they no longer meet the criteria, they will be released and placed on a protective supervision order.

PPOs are not being designed to a specific individual and are expected to apply to between five to 12 offenders over the next decade. Many are expected to be child sex offenders. 

A pity we didn't have this law a few months ago.

It's one of those laws that we shouldn't need, but sadly we do.

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