Cuddling Up To Recidivist Criminals
Andrew Little, Minister of Justice in New Zealand, is committed to removing New Zealand's Three Strikes Law. He calls it a total failure. In so doing he is being disingenuous--and he knows it. The NZ Three Strikes law was carefully crafted to ensure that it gradually came in effect over time, allowing offenders plenty of warning of the increasing penalties they faced if they continued to commit serious crimes.
Moreover, the law as passed was scrupulous to ensure that judges had the right to override the law in the event of unintended outcomes. But Little argues that the ineffectiveness of the law is proven by the fact that over eight years, it has not reduced crime one little bit, and no-one has received a third strike sentence. He well knows that it the law was intended to come into force gradually and it is only now that our worst recidivist offenders are facing their final Third Strike, meaning a mandatory, fully served sentence would be handed down. But, says Little in a master stroke of duplicity, the fact that it has made no difference over eight years "proves" the law has failed.
