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Judge the Judges online now here
Sensible Stuff!
A range of merchandise is now available, including shirts, jackets, mugs, caps and bags at this site;
www.sensiblestuff.co.nz/ David Fraser's book "Badlands" - NZ : A Land Fit for Criminals is available here for $35:00/
Ron and Faye Bishop, parents of murder victim Dean Brown launched this initiative in order to fundraise for us, see Herald story
Donate or Join Online HERE
Address information for those joining online remains confidential. Refunds will only be made where a donation is made in error or a request is made to the head office in Napier identifying the transaction concerned. All transactions will be in NZ dollars.
Donations may also be made at any Westpac Branch or online to our account number 03 0698 0096242 000 . Please put your surname, initials and what town you are from! This helps the people in the office match your membership form with your payment!
Latest Press Releases
Not only must Justice be done, it must be seen to be done *
(6th May 2013)
The Sensible Sentencing Trust’s "Judge the Judges" website will go live from Monday 6th May.
The site has been developed to encourage public awareness, education and reflection on Judicial decisions. Sensible Sentencing Trust spokeswoman Ruth Money today said: "Public confidence in the Judiciary can only be maintained through transparency and understanding, hence this site serves to educate the public by providing summaries of cases we have been able to access."
“The cases on the website include sentencing notes to inform the public and encourage them to consider the Judge’s reasoning. The public can then 'Be the Judge'."
"The hysterical over-reaction from the Auckland District Law Society and the NZ Bar Association to our plans to launch 'Judge the Judges' was completely misguided. The site was always intended to be a measured, accurate and informative resource to record Judicial decisions and encourage debate", said Ms Money.
The false claim by these groups prior to launch, that 'Judge the Judges' was going to be "little more than on-line talk back radio" was an ill-informed statement.
'Judge the Judges' will be updated regularly with both new and historical cases to ensure the public conversation and education continues.
Regards,
Ruth Money
Sensible Sentencing Trust.
027 565-4406
* R v Sussex Justices, Ex parte McCarthy (1924)
Permanent Link
"Christie’s Law" - Help change the Bail Act
Christie Marceau was murdered on 7th November 2011
The accused had earlier kidnapped and assaulted Christie. Despite strong police and family opposition, the Judge granted the accused bail to live within close proximity to Christies home. Four weeks later the accused entered Christie’s home and stabbed her, Christie died in her Mother’s arms.
Many murders have been committed by offenders on Bail, and we are now demanding action;
See site here
The Facebook page is here
Justice: Speaking Up for Crime's Silent Victims
Justice is the story of how an ordinary cocky from Hawke's Bay became a spokesman for the victims of violent crime. Garth McVicar, a mild-mannered man, just couldn't sit back and watch the injustice. A father of four daughters and a grandfather, he was raised by decent, hard-working parents, who instilled in him "that you should leave the land better than you found it".
Sit with Garth as he reflects on 10 years of the Sensible Sentencing Trust, where it has come from, where it is going and what it has acheived. Hear from some of the victims the SST has helped. Whether you personally agree or disagree with Garth's message, no-one can deny that New Zealand has become a violent society - enough so that this unassuming man from Hawke's Bay stood up and said 'enough is enough'. In taking that step, Garth has become one of the most recognised men in the country as an advocate for the victims and families of violent crime.
But Justice is not just Garth McVicar's story. Although we read how he got involved (not, as many people seem to think, in response to something he saw on TV) and why he continues to work with such energy, commitment and assiduity. Justice also outlines the history of the SST and contemplates its future. It looks at the impact the SST has had on the New Zealand political landscape and asks; Has it made any difference? Has it done what it set out to do?
We all need to read this book - this is a story for us all - any one of us could be caught up in a nightmare like this at any time.
This Penguin book is available at Wheelers, Fishpond, and Paper Plus amongst others
A downloadable version of our DVD "New Zealand – A land fit for Criminals – why?" is available
for broadband DSL/cable users here (42 Mb, 320 kb/sec) , and
for dialup users here (6 Mb, 48 kb/sec)
These are in wmv format, playable in most media players
The essay "My Truth - The Mallet of Judgement" by Kristine Johnston may now be found here along with a number of other articles from Trust members and staff on our new Contributors Page
The Sensible Sentencing Trust was formed in March 2001 by a small group of motivated people with a passion and a vision to help create a patriotic, crime free New Zealand through the promotion of personal responsibility and a better deal for Victims of crime.
Our focus on the sentencing issue at this stage has been a deliberate part of our strategy. By highlighting the ridiculous sentences given to repeat offenders we felt most New Zealanders would identify and understand our message as we raised public awareness and encouraged community ownership.
We realise that harsher penalties alone are not the complete answer, but we believe that sensible sentences must be the first part of the package; we are now expanding our focus into other areas contributing to violent crime. Educating the public is seen as a key factor in achieving our ultimate goal of reducing crime.
The Trust encourages our members to become pro-active ambassadors by educating their respective communities as to the horrific consequences and ongoing effects of violent crime, for those directly involved and the wider community.
Public awareness has been achieved by holding public meetings around the country, and representatives of the organisation have spoken to hundreds of community groups.
Sensible Sentencing Trust is now a nationwide organisation with a head office in Napier and co-ordinators in many regions. Everyone who works for the Trust does so on a voluntary basis; financial support comes from membership donations, community groups and individual contributions.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust is strictly a non-political organisation; with IRD approved donee and charitable trust status.
The Trust is absolutely committed to reducing violent crime through community awareness, education and research.
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Because of the huge volume of emails Garth receives, a reply may not always be possible;
please direct emails to others listed on this page if your issue is covered by their area of interest.
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National Spokesman and Trustee :
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Garth McVicar
P.O. Box 701
Napier 4140
027 2487919
email garth@sst.org.nz
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National Secretary and Trustee :
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Wendy Pedler
P.O. Box 701
Napier 4140
(06) 8355521 SST Office
(06) 8355520 SST fax
021 2494333
email wendy@sst.org.nz
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Lawyer : Keith Jeffries
Wellington
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Accountants : Gardner Reaney Ltd
Chartered Accountants
P O Box 192
Napier 4140
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Trust Auditor : Gardner Knobloch Ltd
Chartered Accountants
Phone: 06 835 5018
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Predator Awareness Campaign spokesperson for the Sensible Sentencing Trust
Assistant Webmaster and Sensible Sentencing Correspondent for Australia
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Ross Crosby
+61 451 968816
email databases@sst.org.nz
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With co-ordinators throughout our main regions.
webmaster@sst.org.nz for technical issues regarding this website.
The mission of the Sensible Sentencing Trust is:
The Sensible Sentencing Trust is a non-profit and non-partisan organisation, run by volunteers, that seeks to bring about positive changes that support a New Zealand safe from crime.
The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good
men and women to do nothing
Sensible Sentencing is a Nationwide organisation with membership increasing daily.
The time is right, Enough is Enough. This is a people issue, we need you, call 0900 SAFE NZ to join!
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