I am not convinced either. I merely pointed out , it is already done. It is not perfect. Suggestions for alternatives, weee! Just not, what already fails.
But, I do think categorizing…

We do all that now. We also attempt to throw people together according to crime. Minimal offence will get one into minimum security prisons such as…

home detention?

Notwithstanding the emotion driven rationale of the intolerants, if behavioural reconditioning is still…

Which ties in to the macro-nationalist No True Scotsman-ism of the usual suspects when it’s one of their own who’s…

Quite, Scott – but isn't it funny how the strident "let 'em stew in their own shit" brigade aren't quite so militant when white, middle-class Anzacs find themselves on the receiving end of…

What Matthew said. If you consider that denial of liberty for years on end is the punishment then there's no further need for the basic denial of a lot of human comforts that could make a difference to the ability of prisoners to rehabilitate. Being denied…

So what's the diff?

Edit: I guess I'm being a little obtuse, but I'm not sure the point Robertson was making was clearly shown in what he was quoted as…

We don't send people to prison so that they can be punished there. The denial of liberty *is* the punishment.

Poor conditions and lack of access to basic human needs is adding another level of punishment, which isn't how it's supposed to work. At least AFAIK.

I must be thick. What's the diff?

Being imprisoned by poverty is probably another discussion, but it is a valid one. Having had two fillings at a cost of $815 recently, your point is well made.

Well, probably not.

Periodontal disease for example has long been associated with Heart Disease and mortality.

This seems, as Russell said, cruel and unusual punishment.

Forget the associations (which are strong enough) – untreated abscesses in the upper jaw can flat-out kill…

ones with enough money to afford a private dentist, yes.

Which neatly ties in to my observation of society’s obsession with attacking the symptom. That's one catch-phrase that David Shearer could potentially use to reframe the debate, and not just on law & order.

Seems there could be a lot of complaints in the offing, but yes, I've…

Untreated dental problems expose the people who suffer them to any number of other,…

Mind you, couldn't you probably say much the…

Except probably the Howard League for Penal Reform.

After we finished recording, Roger Brooking told me something that made me madder than anything that's actually in the show.

Corrections dental policy is "pain-relief only". Meaning they don't actually treat even severe dental problems.

This is:

(a)…

The problem is, if there is no extra penalty for violence in the act of a crime then there is no disincentive for committing violence as well as the crime…

and a range of terminal health effects such as cancer and cardiac problems

Seen mention in the last week somewhere in common media of a stress-related death…

However, I would be very surprised if the suicide toll of our domestic financial malfeasance scandal is not quite dramatically higher than the death toll associated with all armed robberies in NZ history.…

And Joe raises a very good point-

Plus I doubt Eric Watson is that concerned with his future employment, and we could get right back to Sir (lets kiss his arse) Michael Fay. Yes, I really see…

Unless they jump the ditch with impunity like Bryers, giving the finger even to his 75 hours of community service. No wonder the smug git needed bodyguards on his visits back for court appearances.

To be fair, stealing from a bank the non-white collar way does typically involve highly credible…

A popular joke in Ireland that emerged…

And get pitiful community work sentences as a “punishment”. Anyone who outright stole millions of dollars from a bank would be doing hard time, and rightly so, but destroy the life savings of thousands and you’re on gardening duty for a few months.

Economic circumstances don't seem to be so much a factor. US crime rates continued to decline in 2009 & 2010, even though unemployment soared.

Another factor was the economic recovery around that time as well. Also, irrespective of its pluses and…

I read some debate around whether it was this or other effects causing the crime rate drop. For example one of the authors of the Freakanomics series says they can show that…

It’s also the minimum length of time he will spend in prison.

David Tamihere is a great example. Minimum non-parole in 1990 was 10 years. He did over 20 because he refuses to confess to a crime that it’s very…

I know of one… "attacking the symptom".

and consequently it will fail to gain traction for as long as populist polly tubbies are…

That's amazing. What was that thing about power and corruption again? Wow, indeed.

Hence the need for better crafted messages that engage our emotional reasoning, as with all politics. Just because it's harder to tap into people's hope, generosity and sense of community doesn't mean it is impossible.…

Shame that that won't stop National from pushing for something very, very similar to TABOR for local government.

They were Republican Arizona’s golden boys, the plain-spoken, get-tough sheriff and his legal and political foil, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and attorney Andrew Thomas. According to a post at Talking Points Memo, Thomas “might have had a bright career in Arizona politics,” but instead is today…

Would it be more or less worrying if I said that the funded area is small and most of the interference seems to be related to image management?

Problem: Garth "Rent-a-scare-quote" McVicar is appealing to the nasty, reptilian, fearful brain. Nothing that any Howard League spokesperson has to say can appeal to the same part…

Wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N26cQaHbYxs…

You are not. It's a deliberate narrative based on giving people groups to fear and despise, and then depicting government as 'protecting' them with cops, jails…

Hear hear. The same argument needs to be made and strongly in relation to the criminal legal aid system. No…

Dunno about that. But word on the street is that when that dude escaped from the new Mt…

And am I not the only one to see a connection between the world-view of the string-em-uppers, and…

I've never been to Nagio, though it sounds quite quaint. Ngaio, on the other hand, is pretty much middle-of-the-road politically (at least according to voting booth figures) and far from any definition of "trendy".

Yup, I've no idea when or how we'll get back the $250 than Allan Hubbard and his mates stole from me and every other NZ taxpayer.

Feel free to check out some other pearls of Cafe Villa's village wisdom.

What's wrong with the traditional strategy of ignoring unwanted advice; sacking the bearer of inconvenient evidence and when all else fails publicly assassinating the poor boob's character? Seems to be ample precedent,…

Sure – you don’t deprive people of their freedom and reputation…

Not entirely. I think this research was part of the reason NYC tried the broken windows policy where even minor offenses were charged. the idea being that if…

Please adjust bullshit filters for anecdata, but I know someone who…

and it didn't. :)

There seems to be no shortage of criticism based around a premise that prisoners are treated to proper meals and…

I'm sure electoral donations by the truckies' Road Transport Forum had no influence on that. None at all.

Kim's Rethinking Crime And Punishment newsletter is worth subscribing to.

Ugh. That is worrying.

Not least because ignoring evidence leads…

I have watched a colleague spend weeks revising a research report because it wasn't what the minister would want to see. I am increasingly worried about this, as in my sphere of operations we haven't seen anything like this…

Resources would go into police and community services rather than prisons, yes

I used to work at Corrections and I was in frequent communication with Mr Brooking.

Mr Brooking is spot on with his comments re short-term offenders, though in Judith Collins' defence, she did make some moves to combat this – and…

There are reports referred to as far back as 2007 in the April 2011 Parole Board decision:

Ms (withheld)’s report says that during her…

probably depends which faction inside his party is favoured, rather than anything to do with evidence or sound policy-making.

But isn't the down side of this is it effectively needs a police state or at least a well policed up state.

Most of the literature says that certainty of of punishment is a considerably stronger deterrent than severity of punishment. Example:

While the criminal justice system as a…

Where does one find this "long paper trail"? I'm not too sure…

A very…

Essentially for many criminals there is a belief that they won't get caught so the punishment is irrelevant.

Of course the ideal is a society where people…

Their job used to be to inform the public of the truth now it is to inform the public of the news.

Which is not to say…

It's called "his head"

ETA shoulda read the rest of your post before leaping into comment ;-)

Yet that's what journalists used to do more of, rather than regurgitate whatever is fed to them by those with the loudest mouths. Think how much more…

And even then, it'll be much harder. But I am annoyed by Peter…

As…

In the case mentioned above, the trial judge sentenced Wilson to a very long time in prison – he's now coming to the end of that sentence. So we can't guarantee he won't reoffend? That's a problem, but so is retrospective punishment.…

Oh wait a minute. It didn't have a rehabilitation component? Then what was it doing in there?

It certainly is time for some evidence based rehabilitation services.

Not that I expect that it would change his mind (however be nice that would be). I would…

As Corrections Minister she dispensed tough love by authorising shared prison cells and brought in converted cargo containers as accomodation to solve the burgeoning prison numbers. She even earned approval for this in…

I believe he would have been sentenced before the regime was in place, so they can't. The new orders have been argued to be intended to cover people in just that position.

It's just occured to me…

fair question. anyone asked them?

One could be forgiven for thinking she's inclined to ignore an ESO as an option, so she can be seen to save the day with a new…

Some no doubt welcome but rather backhanded opposition from Chauvel:

“Labour will not sign a blank cheque in support of the Ministers proposals until the legislation is allowed transparent, consultative debate.”

And Imperator Fish for Easter Friday.