MP hits at `universities for crime'

REON SUDDABY
Green Party justice spokesperson Nandor Tanczos believes prisons are "universities for crime" which are not set up to rehabilitate offenders.
Mr Tanczos was speaking in Napier last night, along with Napier MP Russell Fairbrother and Jackie Katounas of Restorative Justice.
The trio gathered to discuss "Justice That Works", in front of an audience of about 50.
The dreadlocked MP said most people acknowledged that prisons were universities for crime, going on to add that they weren't set up to rehabilitate offenders.
"There's a lot of people in our country who haven't been socialised to be full human beings."
Prisons still had a place, for "violent and unredeemable" people who needed to be taken out of circulation for the good of the community, Mr Tanczos said.
Despite that, the National Party's plan to reduce the criminal age of responsibility to 12, "fills me with horror" Mr Tanczos said.
Mr Tanczos agreed there were problems with the parole system, but did not think that meant parole should be ditched, rather that the issues needed to be addressed.
Mr Tanczos said a greater emphasis needed to be placed on helping victims of crime.
Napier MP Russell Fairbrother echoed Mr Tanczos' comments about prisons.
"All of us would agree that prisons are very destructive places," he said.
However he also reminded the audience of the punitive aspect of locking up convicted criminals.
"We send people to prison to keep them out of the community for a length of time ... it's actually the long time out of the community that's the punishment."
However he felt crime would "solve itself" if communities sorted themselves out.
It was important people re-examined how they lived, and once that was right, crime would drop, Mr Fairbrother said.
Ms Katounas said "millions of dollars" were being wasted on a self-defeating justice system that hit minorities unfairly and created more crime.
Ms Katounas said greater attention needed to be given to how children were treated, and called for greater mercy among people.
"We all need to relearn how to practice compassion and mercy in our dealings with one another."