A senior Māori lawyer is sounding the alarm the Government’s tough-on-crime policies are causing prison numbers to blow out.
New figures show 42% of male inmates are on remand, up from 19% in 2013, and could overtake sentenced prisoners by 2032.
Barrister Quentin Duff (Ngāi Rangi, Te Arawa, Raukawa) has led the defence in more than 100 jury trials over 40 years,
He says the lock-them-up attitude towards punishment is creating major problems for the system and the people in it.
![Senior Māori lawyer Quentin Duff.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/3FZSHWTSBBCJXMV2E7SXYOJGKU.jpeg?auth=6c06eaa59de305587617c642a7353dcdc7c77bbac112e51b394465a9ef5c928d&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)