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Crime and Punishment Debate (PNth)

By / 23 April 2010

The public are invited to hear Ian Lees-Galloway (Labour MP, PNth) and David Garrett (Act MP) debate the policy proposal known as Three strikes and you’re out. If the policy were to become law, it could lead to the permanent imprisonment of criminal offenders on the occasion of their third conviction for a serious offence. It is a proposal that has been supported by Sensible Sentencing Trust and others who believe that we need to send a stronger message of deterrence to known and would-be offenders. It has been opposed by others like the members of Prison Fellowship and PARS (Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Society) who believe it is inhumane and would simply lead to more people in prison for longer periods.

The two MPs will start off proceedings by presenting their own views on the policy and then attempt to respond to or refute one another. The debate will be followed by comments from our panel of experts who will discuss the presentations and direct questions to the debaters if they choose. The panel will be composed of Garth McVicar, coordinator of The Sensible Sentencing Trust, Audrey Lang, Field Director of PARS, Manawatu and Fr. Jim Consedine, former Prison Chaplain and Restorative Justice Pioneer. There will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions followed by refreshments in the Parish Hall.

Were this policy to become law it could require a significant change in the prison programmes of the Department of Corrections. It would mean moving away from programmes aimed at community reintegration of all prisoners to include a programme of managing the permanent incarceration of those prisoners convicted for the third time.

The debate will take place at the Diocesan Centre off Amesbury St. behind the AA and the Cathedral on Broadway in Palmerston North, between 1 pm and 4 pm on Saturday May 8th. The organisers will provide tea and coffee at the end of proceedings and are asking for a gold coin koha/donation to cover their expenses. All are welcome. For more information, contact Rex Begley at the Palmerston North Diocese; Phone: 06 354 178, Ext. 845.

Feel free to copy and distribute the following flier:

Flier

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About us

This site is run by the Social Justice Commission of the Anglican Church.

We seek to nurture justice spirituality and imagination, and engage in advocacy in all areas of life, overcoming poverty and transforming violence.

We encourage people to think and live “justly”, and emphasise debate and action on local, national and global issues.

Although we are Anglican, our vision isn’t so much about being Anglican. It’s about living justly. Justice is about how you live your life, and being just where we are. Working together, we can all flourish.

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