References

Department of Corrections. (December, 2010). Prison facts and statistics.
http://www.corrections.govt.nz/about-us/facts_and_statistics/prisons/march_2013.html

Liptak, A. (April 23, 2008). U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html?pagewanted=all

Morton, J. (July 29th, 2011). Parents 'lose' son to sex offender.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10741539

New Zealand Press Association. (February 18th, 2011). Police attacks show need for harsher penalties Collins.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10704831

Nippert, M. (April 17th, 2004). The high price of New Zealand's overcrowded prisons.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3562026

Are We Ready?

The resurgence of capital punishment needs to be taken extremely seriously; taking life can not be taken lightly.

Is New Zealand ready for capital punishment again? Yes, I believe we are, and the general consensus is that the nation is also ready and wanting harsher penalties for criminals.

Money Money Money *queue Abba cover*

The New Zealand Department of Corrections annual budget exceeds that of $748 million. This huge budget is supported by the New Zealand tax payer. Our hard earned cash is being spent taking care of prisoners, something I personally am not 100 percent comfortable with. Well yes you could argue that us tax payers are not paying ($90,936 per inmate, per year!) to look after inmates, but rather we are paying to keep criminals off the streets. But is it really right or fair that we should be cashing out as an individual and as a nation to put food on prisoners’ tables? Especially in these harsh economic times when so many are us are struggling to put food on our own tables.

Even worse still, is it fair the families of victims and victims themselves be asked to pay for, though be it indirectly, the well being of the men and women who’ve murdered their children, or raped them? Could you ask a mother to pay for the dinner of the man who molested her child, because at the end of the day is that not what we are doing?

As I mentioned earlier, this money could be invested in the lives of those who have not committed such horrendous crimes. Teaching lesser offenders life skills that could enable them to become useful and valued members of society would be a far greater use of money, and help in reducing New Zealand’s crime rates.

Prison State (pun intended)

New Zealand has long had a problem with prison population, and we currently have 199 inmates for every 100,000 citizens, the 7^th highest inmate: citizen ratio in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). It is also predicted that if current trends continue New Zealand will soon be 3^rd, following The United States and Poland, which is quite concerning considering the US has almost 25% of the world’s inmate population. This is clearly showing that New Zealand’s justice system is greatly failing.

The reason for New Zealand’s high crime rate is that there is no real fear of going to prison, and why would there be? Free rooms, hot meals, heated floors, recreation facilities, and in some cases sky television, these sound more like the amenities of a small motel, not a penitentiary. Should we really be offering murderers and rapists such a lifestyle?

H. Naci Mocan, from the University of Colorado at Denver, created a study that looked at over 3000 US counties over a period of two decades, and came to the conclusion that every execution saved 5 lives. He went on to say "I personally am opposed to the death penalty... But my research shows that there is a deterrent effect."
The return of the death penalty (new Star Wars title?) in New Zealand would create a strong deterrent against crime as it has done in the United States.

Obviously we can’t execute everyone, death for petty theft would be insane, so I would purpose capital punishment only be plagued upon those who have committed murder, treason, and crimes of a sexual nature i.e. child molesters and serial rapists. But of course more concrete and specific regulations would have to be put in place if New Zealand was to become a capital punishment state again.

Along with the death penalty, I also believe stronger punishment and sentences are needed right across the board, life imprisonment should mean till death not 10 to 15 years. And for those who have committed lesser crimes perhaps the money that will no longer be spent on housing high risk prisoners (as they’ll be executed), could instead be spent on rehabilitation programs helping to prevent repeat offenders.

A Look Back...

Capital punishment is no stranger to New Zealand and up until recently (1989) the death penalty was still in place for crimes of treason. Execution was first used as a form of punishment in New Zealand on the 7th March 1842, when young Maketu Wharetotara hanged for the brutal murder of 5 persons, two of which were only children. Capital punishment was retained for murder, treason, and piracy up until 1941, when it was taken away for a brief period until the National Government bought it back in 1950 and maintained until 1961 when it was abolished.

The last execution took place four years earlier, when Walter Bolton hanged for the poisoning of his wife. During this period 84 prisoners were legally executed, with only one of those deaths being for treason. Only one women was ever executed, Minnie 'Winton-baby-farmer' Dean. All hangings took place in full public view, until 1862 when they moved the executions inside the prison walls.

Death Penalty in New Zealand

The death penalty, or capital punishment, has long been a debated issue in New Zealand and around the world. Should we have it? Yes, no? This is the ultimate question really. Well my answer is yes, New Zealand should be an advocate for capital punishment…..again.

Over the next couple of posts or so I shall be examining the reasons we as a nation should bring back the chair. So stay tuned folks!