New legislation aimed at delivering tougher consequences for crime and placing greater focus on victims has passed its final reading in Parliament, with the government saying it marks a turning point in restoring law and order.
The Sentencing (Reform) Amendment Bill introduces several changes designed to strengthen victims’ rights and address growing concerns over retail crime and violence against vulnerable workers.
Courts will now be required to take into account information about victims’ interests during sentencing, and crimes committed against sole-charge workers or those operating a business attached to their family home will be treated as aggravating factors.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the reforms deliver on the government’s promise to restore real consequences for crime.
“In recent years, courts have imposed fewer and shorter prison sentences, despite an alarming increase in violent crime, ram raids and aggravated robberies,” Goldsmith said.
“We know that undue leniency has resulted in a loss of public confidence in sentencing, and our justice system as a whole. We developed a culture of excuses for crime. That ends today.”
“This is a significant milestone in this Government’s mission to restore law and order. It signals to victims that they deserve justice, and that they are our priority.”
What are the changes?
The reforms cap sentence discounts at 40 percent when judges consider mitigating factors, unless a harsher sentence would be manifestly unjust.
Repeat sentence reductions for youth and expressions of remorse will also be restricted to avoid offenders continually using those factors to minimise accountability.
The changes also encourage cumulative sentencing for crimes committed while on bail, in custody, or on parole. The government says this targets behaviour that shows a disregard for the justice system.
A sliding scale for early guilty pleas will also be introduced, with a maximum discount of 25 percent for early admissions, reducing to just 5 percent for guilty pleas entered during a trial. The aim is to reduce unnecessary delays and prevent offenders from receiving excessive discounts for late-stage guilty pleas.
The law also adds two new aggravating factors — one targeting adults who exploit children or young people by involving them in criminal offending, and another for offenders who glorify their crimes by livestreaming or posting them online.
ACT’s Justice spokesperson Todd Stephenson said the changes deliver on the party’s campaign promise to shift the justice system’s focus back toward victims.
“Protecting the safety and property of New Zealanders is the government’s first and most important job. That’s why ACT is restoring balance to a system that has become too focused on criminals instead of victims,” Stephenson said.
Further changes led by ACT, already introduced last year, include the restoration of the Three Strikes law, making gang membership an aggravating factor during sentencing, defunding Section 27 cultural reports, and scrapping the previous government’s prisoner reduction targets.
