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

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Starter Pack

This is intended as a guide for those setting up new local branches

Vision Statement

A safe, crime-free New Zealand

Mission Statement

To obtain a large base of community support, and ensure safety for all New Zealanders from violent and criminal offending, through education, development of effective penal policies, and the promotion of responsible behaviour, accountable parenting, and respect for each other at all levels of society.

Sensible Sentencing Goals:

To ensure that adults and children are equally and adequately protected from those who have committed murder and other serious violent crimes. Such protection to require the offender to serve all of the sentences which are imposed.
Life means Life.

To enact legislation that will ensure that the early release of offenders on parole is not automatic, and that parole be granted only in exceptional cases where the offender can clearly demonstrate that he or she is no longer a risk to society.

To ensure that victims of violent crime and their families or their representatives to have input into court proceedings prior to sentencing.

To ensure that juries to be able to recommend sentencing to Judges

To initiate adequate legislation and policies to ensure that serious violent offenders receive the maximum penalties as prescribed by the Crimes Act.

To ensure that any offenders who commit multiple crimes receive cumulative sentences rather than concurrent sentences.

Sensible Sentencing Long Term Objectives

Objective (1)

To stop Law and Order being used as a political football and allow some consistency, without political interference.

Objective (2)

To allow Law and Order to be properly treated and developed as foundations of New Zealand Society, along with Health and Education.

MEMBERSHIP

For a start you can download forms here.

Once people have signed the petition, the idea is to do a mail out and inform them of SST goals etc and try to enlist them as financial members.

We do encourage you to find sponsorship for photocopying. All membership forms and donations are to be sent back to the National Secretary for receipting.

Louise Parsons , P.O. Box 701, NAPIER, Ph (06) 8355519

Louise will be able to give you names of members from your districts. These will be updated all the time. Once a branch is set up a percentage of funds will be given back to the branch for running costs.

Membership is the big drive, we have stepped up our membership goal to 100,000 members before the next election. We need to be bigger than any Political Party - and better organised.

Obviously when promoting SST it is better to try and sign them up straight away. As Kiwis we seem to have typically accepted murder as part of everyday life, and once people take the membership form home it may be forgotton.

MEDIA (Do's and don'ts)

• Do write letters to newspapers promoting SST Goals and statements
• Do ring Radio talkback promoting SST Goals and Statements.
• Do bring current affairs (violent offending) into your correspondence, try to awaken or at least arouse the sleeping tiger!!! (the lethargic Kiwi)
• Do make sure all major announcements are run past Garth McVicar the National spokesperson, Louise Parsons the Secretary, or Katrina Harding the current nominated spokesperson, or the people nominated to these positions.
• Don't be drawn into diversions. Stay focused on our Goals. Our Goals are something we can achieve that will have an immediate and drastic impact on New Zealand's violent crime rate.
• Don't diverge on to your own personal agendas.

Learn our Goals

Learn the Statistics.

STATISTICS

HOMICIDES

4850% increase in last 50 years
2 convictions in 1952 - 99 last year

VIOLENT CRIME

2000 more violent crimes last year
108% Increase in the last ten years.

RE-OFFENDERS

1400 violent offenders are up for
Parole in the next three years
1102 will re-offend
83% of Male and 75% of Female prisoners are
RE-OFFENDERS

5% of New Zealand families produce 90% of our criminals

ADOPT AN MP

It has been suggested that members in each area adopt an MP from their own Electorate or a convenient List M.P. Hawkes Bay is piloting this and have 5 members who have already started. It is suggested you write to, email or phone your M.P. when any violence or horrific incident is brought out in the media, and record their response.

The electorate maps can be found here at www.elections.org.nz

Any comment they make on any subject to be recorded in a scrap book or other electronic equivalent. We would like a profile made on each of the 120 M.Ps.

A couple of examples that you would normally record.

• Michael Cullen sent his apologies he couldn't attend our Public Forum - but was seen at the same time in Big Fresh....
• Jenny Shipley told members of SST at a Public Meeting. - "surely there are more important issues than Law and Order!!"

ADOPT an MP -Questions and Information

1. Contact your nominated MP introduce them to SST. Advise them of our aims and goals. Ask them their position on Law and Order, and on our aims. For example the following questions are what we need to know answers for :-

A) Do you support Mr Goff's Sentencing & Parole Reform Bill?
B) Do you think the Bill goes far enough or too far? Why? etc
C) What support do you think there is for the Sentencing & Parole Bill within your own party?
D) Do you think the current level of violence and crime in our society is acceptable. ( Ask for suggestion or opinions personal or otherwise.)
E) What is your Party's Policy on Law and Order?
F) Why do you think 92.7% of New Zealanders who voted for Justice reform in the referendum were ignored.
G) What major issues do you think the voters will be voting for at the next election?

Report back to your Regional Co-ordinator on their position on these issues!!

2. Keep a scrapbook and profile of your adopted MP. Note all comments made by your adopted MP regarding Law and Order. Record and file all statements made on their position on Law and Order, and try to encourage your MP to make a personal stand on Law & Order issues, no matter what their Party Policy is.

3. Phone or make regular appointments with MP and ask their opinion and advice on local issues:- e.g new prisons being built, sentencing, Lillybing / Oakes case etc. or any other issue pertaining to Law and Order.

4. Invite your adopted MP to all SST meetings and record their attendance or non attendance as the case may be.

5. If they support SST get them to join officially!!

6. Generally make sure that they are aware who, what and why SST are and that we are monitoring them. (in the nicest way).

7. If you have any questions or require any advice or help, contact your regional co-ordinator.

Adopt a Judge

Although in early discussion, this idea has been brought up as a suggestion. Over the next few months we will collate names and contact addresses of Judges. We will be in touch on this one and would love any suggestions.

Objective:

1. To collect data on variations in sentences given in different areas of the country for similar offences.
2. To congratulate Judges who hand down a Sensible Sentence
3. To politely admonish a Judge who hands down a soft Sentence.

Pilot Meeting (house meeting)

• ? Appoint Chairperson/co-ordinator
• ? Appoint Secretary
• ? Marketing Person
• ? Make sure SST Goals are understood
• ? Read Statistics enclosed
• ? Memorize our 0900 number
• ? Ask other there : Do you want to be a moral or active supporter
• ? Make yourself known to local body representatives, these people are normally very supportive.
• ? Use local media for publicity
• ? Keep Sensible Sentencing in the limelight
• ? Try to arrange a Public meeting, it seems to be a very good way to gain membership and publicity.

LOCAL MEETINGS:

Hawkes Bay have decided to meet once a month. The RSA have kindly donated the branch a room for this meeting.

Suggestions from the last meeting;

• ? adopting a violent offender
• ? A suggestion has been that donation boxes be placed in strategic locations.
• ? Look at Street stalls
• ? Hawkes Bay members working with Youth programme
• ? One member getting involved at Kindergarten level.
• ? Louise to speak at council meeting
• ? Encouraged to write to media, ring talkback etc.

2 sub committees formed

1. Education committee
2. Funding committee.

Garth to address:-

• RSA's nationwide
• Grey Power
• Rotary
• Political parties
• Other community organisations

PUBLIC FORUM - (where to start)

DECIDE ON SUITABLE DATE

Book Venue. Try Local council for support ( the Mayor if sympathetic), they could help with venue and photocopying etc. Check other activities; try not to clash with sporting events. A random survey with a few friends is helpful to find a suitable time for meeting whether day or evening/ weekend/weekday etc.

Hawkes Bay sent out 100 personal invitations to all local councillors and M.P's we also sent them to Leaders of the main Political parties, Victim Support, local Police, Womens Refuge,etc.

Please ring Louise if help is needed to finance meeting.

SPEAKERS

Suggest keep it to 5 speakers

• ? Garth McVicar as National Spokesperson
• ? Local Positive Identity
• ? Perhaps a Victim
• ? RSA Member
• ? A prominent Maori Speaker.

Suggest allow 5 minutes per speaker

AGENDA

Have enclosed Hawkes Bay agenda as example. Louise is happy to Chair any of the main meetings.

QUESTIONS

Allow 15 minutes for questions to the guests.

AUDIENCE ADDRESS

Allow 2 minutes per person to address meeting - (15minutes) Allow 30 minutes for questions and audience address.

It is really important to have a structured meeting we found with both Hawkes Bay and Hamilton if you want to keep peoples attention 2 hours is the maximum.

Allowing for the Welcome, Apologies and Introductions, meeting should take under 2 hours.

DIAGRAM OF ROOM

Both Hawkes Bay and Hamilton set the rooms up in a fan shape and this seems to work well. You need a good sound system, you may get this with the room.

ADVERTISING

Media coverage is good, if you can get the Editor of your local newspaper to support you, it is wonderful free advertising. We found the smaller newspapers were really good. Radio Works in Hawkes Bay sponsored $1200 in radio advertsing, this made a huge difference in getting the message out.

Enclosed is a flyer used in Hawkes Bay, this was distributed throughout the region on cars outside supermarkets, sports venues, rural delivery where applicable. We also had a post out to 300 people picked randomly from the Petition. This was very successful. Enclosed is the information sent

We were lucky enough to have a business sponsor a 3 metre Banner. Another business sponsored bumper stickers and fridge magnets. Two days before our Hawkes Bay meeting we set up in the main street with the Banner, handing out flyers, information about SST, bumper stickers etc. We had the petition there as well. We feel this was worthwhile.

Sponsorship is the big thing here as well.

A larger notice like the small flyer was placed around different agencies, Police, Correction Department, Libraries, WINZ, City Councils, and many more, if they were unable to place the notice out front, I asked them to do so in the Staff Room, they were all very supportive.

SPONSORSHIP

This is needed in any shape or form!! From monetary donations to stationery and stamps. We have been doing this in Hawkes Bay by a letter of Introduction first, then following up by phone call.

Hawkes Bay have approached Hotels with Gaming machines and have successfully got two Hotels to sponsor $2000.00 each. This does have to go to Head Office.

SST does meet the criteria but you do have to minute a meeting and pass a resolution, it tells you what to do on the form.

Again we sent a letter attaching the Trust Profile then followed up with a phone call. If you do decide to do a postal canvas stamps, envelopes, paper etc are needed in large quantities.

Louise and Garth are approaching larger corporates for substantial funding, hopefully they will be able to report back on soon.

Once again if anyone has ideas let us know!!