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Media Reaction and Comment

Here we provide links to recent relevant articles and comments in the media and provide responses or comments of our own where relevant

North and South Article

North and South magazine printed a very favourable article on Garth and the Trust in the November 2006 issue (Adobe PDF, 1Mb)

Garth makes Listener's 50 most powerful list

Listener Magazine has published its list of the 50 most powerful New Zealanders and Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Garth McVicar has been ranked on it for the first time, at number 32 . The Listener has published the power list for the last 3 years. It is their opinion and while the names and rankings are subjective and hotly debated the common theme amongst all those listed is that they their work has significant influence.

That is exactly what the Sensible Sentencing Trust is aiming to do, influence policy and opinion so it favours the victim instead of the criminal and creates a safe and positive community for all kiwis.
The list and accompanying article will be published in full on the Listener site from the 16th December.
Garth's entry in the list is here (Adobe PDF, 1Mb)

Reactions to the July 4th Ellerslie Meeting in 2004

Some reactions to Dr Brash's speech at our July 4th Ellerslie meeting ;
Hawke's Bay Today a favourable editorial
National Business Review another favourable view
The Herald on the other hand took a less favourable view (and got something very wrong, stating that US crime rates have not changed - when in fact they have dropped 30 percent in the last ten years)
The Press in Christchurch approved overall

Herald Article regarding our "Enough is Enough" Campaign song

This very nice article was published in the Weekend Herald of March 13th-14th, with a lovely photo of Kelly Piggott and Rowena Marsh-Potaka who worked together on the song.

Favourable Herald Article

The Herald published this rather nice article the same weekend as our AGM in Taupo. It was stated in the article that "Government sources say Sensible Sentencing is the highest-profile voice in the area, and its views are listened to" which was a neat morale boost for us. A pat on the back for the Herald, thanks guys! (Although I hope they manage to mention this site next time...)

Are we really Bailey Kurariki's parents?

Herald writer David Hill put this rather absurd proposition in an opinion piece on the 29th of September. We were specifically mentioned, and a reaction is as follows;

David Hill last Thursday criticised the call for tougher sentences by Sensible Sentencing Trust. He says "punishment has three purposes: retribution, deterrence, and reform." and then states that longer sentences are not sensible because they fail to meet these requirements.

However he has entirely missed the point - there is a fourth, far more important purpose - prevention. Long sentences for killers (preferably until their decrepitude exceeds their psychopathy) protect the public.

Psychopaths form only a tiny proportion of the population, but over 50% of violent offenders according to research by Robert D Hare in his excellent book "Without Conscience". Long term imprisonment of such offenders is entirely sensible and realistic. To compare state incarceration of teenagers to protect the public, and parents doing so at their own whim, creates a straw man argument.

Insofar as the other requirements go, I agree with him on retribution, and admit that prison is no place for reform, although some violent offenders cannot be reformed anywhere. Some evidence exists for deterrence, but regardless, it does not detract from the primary reason for tougher sentences - long term protection of the public.

This was written by the webmaster in a letter to the editor which was never published unfortunately.

Good sense from Greg O'Connor

From an Xtra article
"The police union believes liberal attitudes and violent video games are behind the spate of young teenagers being accused of murder. Police Association president Greg O'Connor says teenagers are continually being told they are empowered with rights and that the police and society cannot do anything to them. He says that breeds a lack of understanding of the consequences of violent action. Mr O'Connor says there are any number of people with views on what should be done to help rehabilitate the child but he believes the most important issue is protecting society. He says, if failing to lock up such kids makes New Zealand a less safe place, then they should not be let go. Mr O'Connor says, in his experience, many of the kids living rough on the streets are safer in institutions than they are on the streets."

Well said that man!

...and a lack of it from the Governor General...

The Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright called for "reasoned research" in the face of calls for extreme punishment in a speech at Victoria University in August 2002. Herald story here. We could point to plenty of recent research that backs up calls for tougher sentences for repeat violent offenders, most of whom are psychopathic. Her criticism of tougher sentences was based on the assertion that prisons do not reform or rehabilitate inmates - which is true, but completely beside the point when they are beyond reform anyway. The point of prison is to protect the rest of us..... Steve Franks quite correctly pointed out that in making such comments she was breaching the neutral status of her office.

Our Papakura meeting

The Herald published this excellent article focusing on Rita Croskery's powerful speech and her determination to make NZ safer after the death of her son.