National pledges prisoners to work or train

Stuff reports:

The Opposition is proposing compulsory education, training or employment for prisoners who are serving sentences of two years or more.

Excellent. Labour wants them voting, National wants them working.

For the safety of guards, prisoners with disabilities and those in maximum security prisoners who won’t be able to take part, he said.

National’s law and order policy would also make the Victims Notification Register an opt-out, rather than something victims should have to sign up to, he said.

“This policy was designed after I was contacted by a family who was unaware their brother’s murderer had been released from prison. It’s not fair or right that they didn’t know.”

National was also proposing that Victim Impact Statements should be read in court exactly as the victim has written them.

“Often judges present edited versions or won’t let them be read out at all. We believe victims should be fully involved in the court process and be able to have the final say.”

That last policy is more important to victims than you may think. I’ve heard from a lot of family members of victims that the censorship of their statements just makes it even worse for them.