Rotorua offenders who receive warnings under the Three Strikes legislation are dropping in number.
Rotorua offenders who receive warnings under the Three Strikes legislation are dropping in number.
The number of Rotorua offenders receiving warnings under Three Strikes legislation is dropping.
The legislation came into force in June 2010 creating a three stage regime of increasing consequences for repeat serious violent offenders, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Ministry figures show 36 first warnings were given out inRotorua's district and high courts between January 1 and September 30 this year.
The number of first warnings given in Rotorua increased each year until 2012, but had been decreasing since.
There had been five second warnings issued in Rotorua courts, including one this year, two last year, one in 2013 and one in 2012. Nobody nationwide had yet been given a third strike, according to the ministry.
Rotorua Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Peter Bentley said he hoped the Rotorua figures showed the three strikes system was working and the legislation was having a positive effect in the area. "If it could just make one person think twice about committing a crime, then it's been a success," he said.
He hoped the figures would continue to decrease, though he knew offending would never completely cease.
Families Matter law practice director Martin Hine said the figures looked positive but proper research was needed to determine whether the legislation was having an effect.
Mr Hine said the three strikes regime focused on the offender and not the type of offending. It would be interesting to see which forms of offending had increased or decreased over the period the legislation had been in place.
He said there was a school of thought that said addressing the widening gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" might be a more effective way of combating offending rates.
According to the Ministry of Justice, there are 40 qualifying Three Strikes offences comprising all major violent and sexual offences with a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment or more.
A first warning was issued when an offender aged 18 or over without any previous warnings, was convicted of a qualifying offence. Once an offender had received a first strike warning, it stayed on their record, according to the ministry.
If that offender was convicted of another qualifying offence they received a final warning and, if sentenced to imprisonment, would serve that sentence in full without the possibility of parole. On conviction of a third qualifying offence the court had to impose the maximum penalty. without parole, unless it considered that would be manifestly unjust.
