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Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor both published and unpublished, by Garth and other Sensible Sentencing Trust people.

Published 24th February 2004

Dear Sir

It seems ironic that the very week the Prime Minister makes an announcement that she is listening to what the people are saying is the same week the criminal who viciously beat Norm Withers Mum to a pulp was let out of prison.

Norm and his mother sponsored the petition that led to the referendum asking for harsher penalties for violent offenders and a reform of the NZ justice system, 92 percent of the voters supported that referendum and yet the Prime Minister's government ignored it.

In 2002 Families of murder victims held rallies in Auckland and Wellington to ask the government to introduce urgent legislation to ensure "Life would mean Life" for criminals who committed pre-meditated and / or aggravated murder and to abolish parole for all violent criminals and sex offenders.

The Prime minister was very conspicuous by her absence at both rallies.

In July 2003 representatives of twenty-two Families of murder victims held a press conference at parliament and presented a request list of legislation requirements that had been developed by families suffering from some of the worst crimes this country has ever seen.

Once again the Prime Minister did not attend.

Over the last three years the Sensible Sentencing Trust has become the largest Victims rights and Justice reform organisation this country has seen, with thousands of members representing all political parties and ethnic groups. Our members have appeared at Select committee hearings at every opportunity possible, with powerful submissions from incredibly brave families of murder victims. Every small concession has had to be viciously fought for.

The Prime Minister has been very vocal and publicly supported legislation that got tough on dangerous dogs and yet when given the opportunity to support her fellow countrymen who had suffered absolutely horrific violent crimes she chose to ignore them.

Prime Minister, you still have the opportunity to ask your cabinet to introduce legislation that will ensure:

(1) "Life means Life for those who commit pre-meditated and / or aggravated murder", and

(2) Abolish parole for all violent criminals and sex offenders.

Prime Minister you say you are listening but do you really have your ears on?

Yours sincerely

Garth McVicar

National Spokesman
Sensible Sentencing Trust

"Savage Sentences don't make sense"

...Or so says CK Stead, in a woefully misinformed letter to the editor of the Herald published 21st February 2004. He was referring to the 22 and 23 year non-parole sentences of William Johansson and Joseph Samoa for the appalling murders of Marcus Doig and John Vaughn. Initially he blathered on to the effect that he did not understand the guilty verdicts (despite having not been on the jury of course....), but he then topped this with his final paragraph, below;

"As to life setences with non-parole periods of 22 and 23 years (six years more than the man who pulled the trigger), this offers to the young men convicted no hope of a life and no encouragement to reform. It seems to me hardly less brutal, destructive and pointless than the crime itself. A society in which the savagery of the court matches the savagery of the criminal is not one I am proud to belong to."

Our reply by the webmaster in a letter to the editor which was never published unfortunately, was as follows.

In response to CK Stead's recent letter, the case for so-called "savage sentences" needs stating - they play a key part in controlling the increasingly savage behaviour of violent criminals. The point is not to offer them hope of life or encouragement to reform, but to protect the rest of us.

Johansson in particular has already squandered one chance to reform having served time for his involvement in killing Benji Halaholo in 1995. Psychopaths like him are utterly without conscience or pity, and long term isolation from society is the only realistic solution. CK Stead should read the work of Robert D Hare on psychopathy, or take the time to talk with the families of victims, as I have.

And as for hope of a life; what about the lives of the victims and their families. Theirs is indeed a "savage sentence" - for it is life-long.

A society where the courts realistically appraise these individuals and the threat they pose is not only one that protects the vulnerable from harm (especially the poor, women and minorities), but one I am indeed proud to belong to.

CK Stead should stick to that which he is good at - writing the great New Zealand novel. He certainly doesn't seem to know much about criminology....