“Three Strikes” Too Expensive: NZ Claim
In New Zealand, the governing ACT party has proposed a three strikes law for violent offenders. It has not been received without opposition.
Kim Workman of Rethinking Crime and Punishment, which is led by the Salvation Army and Prison Fellowship New Zealand, says Act’s $1 billion costing for the policy is wildly optimistic and it could cost four times that much. “During the election campaign, Act spokesman David Garrett said they would spend up to $1 billion to implement the policy. In fact, it would cost $3 -4 billion to implement, and a further ongoing cost of $56-75 million annual operational costs.”
According to the project’s analysis, the Department of Corrections has 15,000 offenders with three or more convictions for violence on its books, with more than half of those not currently in prison. “Over a very short space of time, we would end up with between 7000 and 10,000 more offenders serving a prison sentence,” says Mr Workman. “I have asked the Department of Corrections to check my figures. But if those figures are correct, it would be fiscally irresponsible to agree to the three strikes’ proposal as part of a coalition deal.”
He says New Zealand needs to take a lesson from the US, where eight states are trying to exit “three strikes” legislation. Mr Workman gives two reasons for their change of heart. “Firstly, they can no longer afford it. Secondly, they can’t find people willing to staff prisons that are inhumane and overcrowded,” he says. “Most thinking New Zealanders would prefer to see their dollars invested in some of National’s positive initiatives – the ‘Fresh Start’ programme for young offenders, and community based treatment for mentally ill and addicted offenders would be a great place to start.”
More on this at the National Business Review.