KEY POINTS:
Legislation to double Youth Court sentences and introduce "boot camps" for the worst young criminals will be introduced next month, but the changes will not be available until next year.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said legislation for the changes to youth justice would go to a Cabinet committee next week and be introduced to Parliament in February, as part of National's 100-day plan.
It includes the Fresh Start programme - a 12-month programme including up to three months in "military-style" camps for the most serious young offenders. The policy is a particular favourite of Prime Minister John Key who used it as the centrepiece of the youth justice policy.
Ms Bennett said it was not likely to become a reality until 2010 - to allow time to set up the programmes needed. Similarly, longer residential sentences - from three months to six months - would not be available until 2010 when the new Rotorua youth justice facility opened to provide about 40 extra beds for young criminals.
The legislation would also extend the Youth Court's jurisdiction so it could deal with 12- and 13-year-olds accused of serious offences.
Ms Bennett said other measures - including greater use by the Youth Court of orders for alcohol and drug rehabilitation, mentoring and parenting courses - would be available sooner as no law change was required.
The legislation for the new sentences will go to a select committee - which usually takes six months - before returning to Parliament to become law.
National was criticised last year for rushing through some of its core policy promises under urgency, bypassing the public input from the select committee process. It included the 90-day probationary period for new workers in small businesses.
Ms Bennett said it was important people had their say on the youth justice initiatives. She did not want to "reinvent the wheel" with the new military-style camps as it was better to build on what was already working.
Justice Minister Simon Power also has a raft of legislation ready to introduce as part of National's 100-day plan, including tougher sentencing and extra police powers to deal with gangs and greater collection of DNA.
He will also set up the promised victims' compensation scheme, which will give out about $5 million a year to victims of serious crimes to help cover their costs.
It will be partly funded by charging every offender $50, regardless of the crime.
The scheme has been applauded by Kim Workman, head of Rethinking Crime and Punishment. He said it would allow victims who could not now afford it to take part in programmes such as restorative justice.
The scheme would also be funded from savings by disbanding the Sentencing Council and the Criminal Justice Advisory Board. The council's budget is $5.8 million, and the board costs $90,000.
The Maori Party has raised concerns that the flat levy on all would result in those convicted of minor misdemeanours footing the bill for actions of the most serious criminals, who could be unable to pay.
Mr Power said the flat levy was decided on after comparing how other countries ran similar schemes. Some Australian states, Canada and the United Kingdom had recently introduced a similar scheme. He said some countries had more complicated two-tier systems, depending on the severity of the crime. However, he believed a flat levy of $50 was "pretty achievable" for New Zealand.
