escalating violence in our community Become a member of the Sensible Sentencing Trust

Mouseover links for full page descriptions

Archived Press Releases 2004 3rd February 2004

See below; Support from victim's familys

Abolish Parole for all violent criminals and sex offenders

(7th March 2004)

Invite to all Media

The Sensible Sentencing Trust Nationwide campaign to:

"Abolish Parole for all violent criminals and sex offenders"

The Napier City Council will be asked to vote in support of the campaign

Where: Napier City Council Chambers

Date: 10 March              Time: 3 pm

As the debate rages around the country on the merits of parole:

One Council has the courage to tackle the question head on

One Council has the courage to debate their role in the safety of the community

This will be a very stimulating debate.

Followed immediately by a Press conference on the steps of Napier City Council Buildings

As the Sensible Sentencing Trust launch their campaign to:

"Abolish Parole for all violent criminals and sex offenders"

Regards,

Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.

In Support of Sensible Sentencing Trust campaign

Rowene Marsh-Potaka; Kelly Pigott and Belinda Reaney.
In support of the Sensible Sentencing Trust campaign to:
"Abolish parole for all violent criminals and sex offenders"

We are fully behind the Sensible Sentencing Trusts campaign to abolish parole for violent and sex offenders. We have all been tragically affected by violent crime and feel that by the abolishment of Parole our lives and others in our community would be protected.

We have come together to support the Trust in the hope that they can give us a voice and a vehicle to make the changes that we feel are necessary. None of us ever want another family to have to go through what we have. Even though each of our tragedies happened over 10 years ago we live everyday with the horror and it's consequences.

"My brother is a double murderer and my family and I have been fighting to keep him in jail for the past 10 years. I have been involved with SST since 2001 and it has helped give me the ability to find my way and express my concerns. I could never voice my concerns before because of my lack of strength. I felt I had been crippled by what my brother had done. I would encourage the community and Council members to support this wonderful organisation as they are actually out there making a difference".
Rowene Marsh-Potaka

"I support the Sensible Sentencing Trust in their efforts to bring about changes in law. Our human rights need to be protected. Taxpayers have long been paying for criminal's rights, such as legal aid, often over and over as these criminals continue to reoffend. I am proud to be associated with people who volunteer their time and are not daunted by the enormity of the challenge, but keep chipping away to find practical solutions."
Kelly Pigott

"From my own personal experience and having to deal with the trauma of parole I can only hope that this campaign is successful in abolishing Parole for violent & sex offenders. If Roma had served the sentence he was given which was Life, we would not have to relive the horror and be going through all this yet again. It prevents us from moving on. I truly appreciated the support from the community that was given to us at the time of our tragedy and would now ask for the same support to be given in our attempts to abolish parole."
Belinda Reaney