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Archived Press Releases 2009 16th July 2009

Chief Justice promotes “Get Out Of Jail” card

(16th July 2009)

Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias advocates solving the overcrowded prison problem by setting the prisoners free!!!!

SST's Spokesperson on Drug Issues, Christine Davey, revisits the issue of the large percentage of the prison population who have drug addiction problems, who needn't be in prison if they'd been able to be treated in the community.

Ms Davey advocated her own solution in a submission to the Ministerial Drivers of Crime meeting – that of Community Intervention in anti-social behaviour (i.e illicit drug taking) BEFORE these people start committing more crimes.

MP's tell us that P use is a family and community problem, and we have to deal with it. But they don't give us the tools!

All the parents who have contacted Ms Davey through the Fight Against P website www.fightagainstp.com have desperately tried to get help to stop their kids using P – and no-one cares!

Police say it's not a Police issue; it's a Social Services issue.

Social Services say the illicit drug user can't be helped to stop, until they WANT to stop !!

So parents have to sit back and watch as their kids start committing crimes to support their drug habit – and then they end up in prison. Is it any wonder the prisons are overcrowded?

Instead of waiting until they've committed an imprisonable offence, why don't we give communities the tools to intervene in illicit drug use EARLY, at family request, and send these people to mandatory Treatment before they commit other crimes?

Cost too much? So does the alternative. But at least they come out of Rehab with a better chance of retrieving their lives and becoming good citizens again, which will ultimately save us money and restore these people to their families.

Surely that's a far more sensible response to the problem, than just letting them back into our communities again, ready to repeat the cycle?

Regards,

Christine Davey
Sensible Sentencing Spokesperson on Drug Issues,
mobile 027 6376166
Christine Davey has first hand experience of P use in her family, and also supports many other NZ parents in her role as Administrator on the Fight Against P website www.fightagainstp.com

Through the Sensible Sentencing Trust Christine is campaigning for intervention in drug use at family request and removal of children from the care of known drug-users.