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escalating violence in our community
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Sensible Sentencing Trust
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Why do so many young people commit hideous crimes and cause devastating human suffering as they journey from the cradle to the grave?
The Sensible Sentencing Trust, Family First NZ and For the Sake of our Children joined forces to bring respected British psychiatrist Dr Anthony Daniels to New Zealand, a prolific journalist, author and social commentator who scribes under the pen-name Theodore Dalrymple.
Theodore - like most sound thinking Kiwi's - believes the break down in family values is directly responsible for escalating violence and this environment has been fostered by the welfare state and sanctioned by past and present Governments.
Many homes now do not have a kitchen table. Theodore believes the cradle to jail journey begins at this critical stage of a young person's life, and the lack of family values and manners is directly attributable to the escalating youth violence we are seeing in society today.
Without a kitchen table children learn to graze at the family refrigerator - the cupboards - their appetite being the sole determining factor of what and when they eat. As they grow older and move into wider society they continue letting the state of their appetite command their every action, but now their appetite has changed. They see a car or a young woman and let their cravings control and dictate their actions.
There are no quick-fix remedies for the predicament the welfare state has created but Theodore believes the first
step is admitting the failure rather than perpetuating it; introducing tax-incentives to encourage one parent to stay home would be one way of gettinmg back to basics. "Children need mums and dads and we need to admit and encourage that."
Years of experience working with victims and perpetrators of crime has convinced Theodore short sentences are cruel and achieve nothing. "They are cruel to the victim, cruel to the public and most of all they teach the offender the system does not mean what it says."
Arguing that a deceitful and fraudulent justice system had destroyed the public's confidence and the resolve and dedication of the police, he believes that a meaningful first sentence with escalating tariffs for repeat offending would be a "refreshing change and reduce offending immediately."
There is a very good article on the Trust in October's edition of North and South
Garth McVicar - Founder
When asked for a summary of his views on New Zealand Theodore concluded that offenders had a deep contempt for the law, a contempt that was the fruit of years of experience. He said "New Zealand is a country in which young men attack old ladies with a murderous intensity and the government may well issue them with an invitation to do so."
The "Cradle to Jail" project was a fantastic success with extensive Media coverage and political commentary. The public awareness and debate created far exceeded our wildest dreams. We would like to thank our many members and individual sponsors who made the "Cradle to Jail" tour possible. For further information please visit www.cradletojail.org.nz
It has been a very successful year with many exciting projects planned. On behalf of the TEAM thank you all
very much for your continued support. While there is no magic wand or miracle cure we can promise you our
determination and commitment in ensuring the Sensible Sentencing Trust aims and objectives are as strong as
ever.
Victims Presentation - Justice Committee
On the 27th March 2006 the Sensible Sentencing Trust took 20 victims from throughout New Zealand to make a presentation to the Ministry of Justice. These victims have had their lives devastated by violent crime and for various reasons have been let down by our Justice system. They were able to tell approximately 50 justice officials their personal stories and where the system had failed them. This was a very good opportunity for these policy makers to hear real stories of how systemic policy failures had affected them as victims
Law Commission
Garth and Wendy met with Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Warren Young to discuss future policies and failings within our Justice system. The Law Commission made recommendations to Government and some of the Trust's suggestions are now in the Law Commission's draft report to Government.
Parole Board
Garth has had several meetings with the chairman of the Parole Board and Trust delegates have supported and represented numerous victims at Parole hearings. While we have been instrumental in the Parole Board becoming more victim orientated, this work is still ongoing.
Ministers and MP's
Garth and other Trust representatives continue to meet with MP's and political leaders to discuss issues and advise on policy. In January Garth was asked by the Minister of Corrections to visit prisons in Europe with a delegation. Since their return the Government has focused on policies from Finland. From what Garth took from the visit these policies have proven to be failures. We do not recommend Finland as an example that New Zealand should follow. In fact the Trust sees no reason New Zealand should follow any country, we can lead the world in this fight against Crime. We just need strong leaders.
Conferences
Garth and Chris attended a 3 day Beyond Retribution Conference. Wendy and Stephen Franks represented the Trust
at the Ministry of Justice conference Public Attitudes to Crime and Sentencing. Garth was guest speaker at the National
AGM Restorative Justice Conference.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust was born out of the need for justice reform and greater rights for victims. Through our advocacy and professionalism we have significantly influenced improvements in our Justice System with greater rights for victims. The activities of the Sensible Sentencing Trust have developed over the 5 years we have been in operation.
The Trust has continued it's expansion into many areas of inter-agency activity. We have consolidated the organisation's growing reputation as a mature, balanced and professional stakeholder in the criminal Justice System.
We believe the only way to counter the current liberally politically correct social experiment that has contributed to the escalation of violent crime is to build the Trust into a vehicle as the voice for the silent majority of New Zealanders who share our vision and aspirations.
We have financed two Radio campaigns this year to raise public awareness of two very important issues.
One highlighting the absurdity of prisoners being paid compensation, the other being the Police Reforms Campaign. Constable X publically highlighted the frustration of the Police by slamming aspects of our Justice system. This exposure resulted in the Minister of Police agreeing to hold an inquiry. This inquiry is ongoing and the Trust is regularly updated with progress.
CRADLE TO JAIL CAMPAIGN
While we have brought about considerable awareness and legislative changes we are very aware of the need to continually lead the charge. With this in mind we brought to New Zealand a British doctor and psychiatrist who has worked in the British prison system for many years.
Theodore Dalrymple is a recognised expert on criminal justice issues. He argues that modern Western views tend to minimize individuals' responsibility for their own actions and undermine traditional values, thus contributing to the formation of a vast underclass afflicted by endemic violence, criminality, sexual promiscuity and drug abuse.
On October the 9th the Sensible Sentencing Trust and Theodore Dalrymple launched our "Cradle to Jail" campaign in Auckland. Garth and Theodore spent ten days travelling and meeting people with an interest in the criminal justice debate.
A huge part of the Trust's work is supporting and helping Victims who come to us when other agencies have failed them. We are able to provide emotional and practical support with various aspects of the Justice System by personally supporting them at Parole hearings, Family Group Conferences, Trials, sentencing, and with Impact Statements. We assist with media contacts and interviews if victims wish to have their voices heard.
Jack Nicholas
When Puketiri farmer Jack Nicholas was brutally murdered 2 years ago it was a personal tragedy for Garth. Jack was a friend, a neighbour and a founding member of the Sensible Sentencing Trust
It was a special moment for us all when an arrest was finally made via a key witness contacting the Trust. Once again the folly of our current system was exposed when the man charged with Jack's murder was granted bail, thus causing much anguish and added trauma for the Nicholas family and friends.
Garth continues to have many speaking engagements around New Zealand, averaging about two per week. This is a very effective method of spreading our message and building the financial membership support base.
The Trust's support groups have all been very active in Hawke's Bay, Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin. The speakers in these districts have succeeded in raising the profile of
the Trust. To ensure consistency of the Trust's message a very successful "speaker training" weekend was held in July.
It looks as though 2007 will be another busy year for speaking engagements, with many bookings throughout
New Zealand already confirmed.
If you are part of an organistion who would like to hear the Sensible Sentnecing Trust message
Contact Wendy
Phone (06) 8355521
Email wendy@sst.org.nz
Garth continues with regular press releases to over 100 media outlets and the Trust is now accepted as a credible voice in the justice debate with media approaching the Trust for regular comments and interviews. Some days Garth can have up to 30 interviews from various media throughout the country.
Garth has been a guest on the Willie Jackson Show several times, also appearing on numerous TV intervies such as Campbell Live, Morning Breakfast and being asked to comment on topical crime issues.
Many of the newspapers approach the Trust for stories, contacts and articles regarding the victims of crimes.
The Trust continues to survive on the generosity of our many thousands of members, individual community groups and businesses. We are very grateful to our major financial supporters, the Hastings RSA, Andy Lowe, Hill Country Corp, Sir Russell Pettigrew and the many local and national trusts who kindly donate to various projects. We would also like to thank our members who are making regular automatic payments and of course all our members who make our survival possible.
While Garth continues to work on a voluntary basis we are pleased to be able to say the Head Office Staff do get their expenses paid at present thanks to the generosity of other funding agencies. We are very confident in saying that we have maintained financial accountability with our financial accounts being audited annually.
A major part of our role with Parliament is the Select Committee process. This is one of the few opportunities for the public to have input into proposed legislation changes. We have been involved in many submissions this year, the major one being the inquiry into Victims Rights.
Our members have been very supportive with hundreds making written and verbal submissions.
Many victims wish to speak before the Select Committee in Wellington and the Truist assists with this process. It is a very effective method of bringing a balance to the debate while continually building a groundswell for change.
The Trust continues to support the families of this horrific tragedy. Auckland Barrister Brian Henry continues to fight for Justice through the Courts for Tai Hobson and Susan Couch. Unfortunately Tai's compensation claim was denied and he is now being assisted by the Human Rights Commission and lawyer David Garrett to seek compensation. Susan Couch is still battling for justice and is being assisted by Brian Henry who has agreed to work pro bono for the Trust on this case. His exceptional generosity is incredibly heartening for everyone.
OUR OBJECTIVES ARE:
We thank Colin Crombie for his continued support with our office rental. The growth of the Trust and the ever increasing work load has lead to more staff resulting in the need for larger office space. In May we relocated to more functional premises. In August they were oficially opened by Mrs Agnes Nicholas.
Agnes Nicholas and Garth at the opening of the new offices
Struggling for funds is an ongoing reality for a voluntary organisation.On July 5th we held a "State of our Nation" fund-raising dinner in the Hastings RSA with speakers Damien O'Connor, Simon Power, Ron Mark and Warren Young from the Law Commission. The evening was chaired by Judge David Carruthers, Chairman NZ Parole Board.
Our next big event is a Golf Tournament for our 6th Birthday on 16th February. We must thank Andy Lowe and his staff for their generous contribution of time and facilities.
We are always open to suggestions for fund raising. The Trust is now a national identity with considerable recognition. To continue and maintain the momentum we will require some unique suggestions. Please contact us with any ideas.
OUR FUTURE
Garth continues to meet with Judges, Police, Department of Corrections and other involved in the Justice System. While we seldom get 100 percent of our wishes we are now reconised as a vehicle that is bringing a balance to what has previously been a very one-sided debate.
At this stage the Trust will continue to expose failures within the Justice and Corrections Departments and work on reform issues through Select Committees, M.P.'s, media and public awareness.
Activities on all fronts have been hectic and we are very proud of what has been achieved. We would especially like to thank our legal team, our accountant and all our other professional advisors who donate their valued expertise and advice.
A special thanks to Peter Jenkins our Webmaster who maintains our highly regarded website. Not only is this used extensively by the public but also Government agencies and national media.
Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers, support workers and of course our valued members who give us the moral and financial support needed to keep us going.
OUR POLICIES REMAIN
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