Jail now more likely for violent offenders

Press, 13 September 1988, Page 6

Jail now more likely for violent offenders

By

GLEN PERKINSON

J in Wellington

While there had been an upsurge in violent crimes, including rape and murder, in New Zealand more offenders were being sent to jail and for longer terms, the Justice Department said yesterday.

Violent crimes had risen 50 per cent since 1979, a report of investigation into the impact of the 1985 Criminal Justice Act showed. The Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer, released the report yesterday and said the increased numbers and lengths of sentences illustrated the courts’ positive responses to the new act He said that the act had been, in part, a “response to calls from the community for longer sentences for violent offenders.”

The report, written by two Justice Department policy and research division , members, also showed that violent offenders were being sentenced to jail more fre-

quently and for longer.

Mr Palmer said that because of the increased custodial sentences imposed by the courts since the act it should not be assumed the act had failed in its intention of reducing prison populations. The increase was mainly because of the growing numbers of offenders imprisoned for violent crimes. The act had directed the courts to send violent offenders to jail and for longer terms but to reduce the number of property offenders sentenced to prison.

Murders reached their highest level in 1986 at 41. They declined to 34 in 1987.

Kidnapping and abduc

tion convictions also increased substantially since 1979.

There were 75 kidnaps and abductions last year. While there was a 134 per cent increase last year in rape convictions compared with the 1979 figure the incidence of all sexual offences grew 34 per cent. Aggravated robbery showed the greatest increase — 229 per cent — of all violent offending. Mr Palmer said the proportion of offenders being jailed upon conviction for violent crimes rose 4 per cent from 1979 to 72 per cent in 1987. The average length of those prison sentences also increased — from 26 months in 1979 to 28

months in 1986 and again to 33 months last year. The average rape sentence increased by nearly half since 1979 to about five years and seven months. Cannabis offences rose substantially compared with other drug offences. In 1979 convictions for non-cannabis drug related crimes constituted 15 per cent of this category but last year other drug offences made up 9 per cent of all drug convictions. . .

Tn 1979, drug offences were responsible •for one in 20 crimes while now the ratio is 1:9. On the positive side, crime clearance rates are improving. The report also said

that since 1979 the 50 per cent increase in violent crime had been met by a doubling of convictions. Monetary penalties are now less prevalent sentences. In 1982 69 per cent of convictions resulted in fines while last year just 55 per cent of convicted criminals were fined.

Mr Palmer said it was “regrettable” that the act’s intention of reducing prison numbers by providing greater deterrence to violent offending “has not been achieved.”

However, it could not be construed that the act had failed.

“The rise in violent crime in this society is not something which is the fault of legislation,”