Support for Criminal Records Bill

Press, 12 April 1988, Page 8

Support for Criminal Records Bill

! ■’ I ' PA I Wellington i ; T r I i'V The Opposition has supported the Government’s proposal to introduce a Criminal Records Bill in Parliament, making it illegal I to discriminate against people! on I the grounds of an! old criminal conviction, but with one major reservation. |i Hi ji : : I The Oppositibn spokesman on justice, Mr Paul East,: said yesterday that most New Zealanders would agree that a person should not have to suffer bjecause of a criminal conviction imposed years ago. • 1 j H

i His one major reservation about the proposal was that it appeared that

criminal records would be sealed automatically! after a period of time’ had elapsed.

“There should be! a requirement that persons seeking to have their criminal convictions sealed must apply to the court.” he said.

“This would require positive action on the part of the person concerned and would also give the police and probation service a chance to express their views. “The court could then decide if it was in the interests of justice that the record is sealed,” said Mr East.

He said the . legislation should act as a positive encouragement for of-

fenders not to commit further offences.

A spokeswoman for the Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer, said the bill was likely to be introduced after Parliament resumed its session next week. While the exact form of the bill has not been released, a 1985 Justice Department I. discussion paper, “Living Down a Criminal Record,? recommended that people con- i victed of a crime more than 10 years ago, who i had not reoffended,j should be completely protected from discrimina-1 tion. ! | If the person had been i sentenced to jail the 10- i year period should start’ from when they were re-1 leased.