Sergeant Karen Vaughan from Porirua District Court
For several years a pilot youth justice initiative has been running in Porirua, is to be replicated in Gisborne and Hamilton, and then nationwide. It is unique to NZ and has attracted a lot of interest from overseas.
Who knew? Well, we do now, since Sergeant Karen Vaughan addressed us last evening. She is the police prosecutor in the Porirua District Court, following a career in which she was involved in a string of high-profile cases, including child abuse and family violence.
The pilot stems from unease among some judges that young offenders’ lives can become blighted after they are convicted of relatively minor offences. Cognitive development is not complete until age 25 or so, and many offenders in the youth court have just been thoughtless or foolish. They could, with help, go on to lead productive lives. The key is to discharge them without conviction under section 106, under certain conditions.
The offenders must be under 25, and agree to a follow a personal plan which might involve education, training (eg defensive driving), counselling, and community work.
The rationale is that intervention, prevention, and integration back into the community benefits everyone.
The pilot has been running for over 2 years, during which time there have been 500 cases in the pilot programme, and recidivism is less than 1%.
We should follow the fortunes of this pilot closely. It is an alternative to the ‘lock ‘em up’ policy which often finds popular support in NZ, and if it works across the board, we will all profit by it.
The Summer Kiwi Quiz is back by popular demand
Grab a copy of your local Stuff newspaper between 1 Jan - 28 Jan and participate in the Summer Kiwi Quiz! Test your knowledge, answer the daily New Zealand based questions, and find out how well you know our beautiful country!
Each correct answer will get you one entry into the draw to WIN 1 of 5 Ooni Karu 2 Portable Pizza Oven bundles, valued at $1024! Each bundle includes: an Ooni Karu 2 Multi-Fuel Portable Pizza Oven, Ooni Karu 2 Carry Cover, Ooni 12" Perforated Peel, Ooni Digital Infrared Thermometer and an Ooni Cookbook: Cooking with Ooni. The more answers you enter correctly, the higher your chance of winning. For more information and to submit your answers, click here
The Team at Stuff
Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
-
10.4% Yes! New Year, New Me
-
19.8% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
-
69.8% Nah - not for me
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’
If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
Loading…
