Sentencing Guidelines

I may be mis-reading this, but I think the Government is about to propose halving all serious crime sentences.

According to the NZ Herald, they are going to increase the threshold for parole from one third to two thirds. This is good.

But they say the Government doesn’t actually want people in prison for longer, so sentence lengths will decrease to compensate for the parole.

So if some-one was sentenced to nine years jail for rape, they could currently get out in three years. This new system looks like suggesting they only get sentenced to four and a half years jail, so they can still get out in three years.

Oh and in related news, Whale Oil has a leaked copy of the new sentencing guidelines:

Forgery: Not in the public interest to prosecute

Fraud: Not in the public interest to prosecute

Speeding: If a Labour minister it is not in the public interest to prosecute

Assaulting Children in your care: If a Labour minister it is not in the public interest to prosecute, otherwise the full extent of the law applies.

Taking bribes and “favours”: Slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket.

Stealing taxpayer money: What money, we just changed the law to “validate” that.

Sadly all too true.