KEY POINTS:
The Government is bringing in a law change that will stop violent and sexual offenders from transferring to home detention.
Associate Corrections Minister Mita Ririnui told Parliament yesterday a bill would be introduced next week giving judges the power to impose 12-month home detention sentences for offenders who were in the low risk category.
It would abolish back-end home detention, which allows offenders who have been jailed to spend the last part of their sentence outside prison.
New Zealand First MP Ron Mark, a persistent critic of the system, said most violent and sexual offenders on home detention were back-end cases.
National's law and order spokesman, Simon Power, released figures on Wednesday showing about half the criminals on home detention had been convicted of violence, sex or drug offences.
He said 25.5 per cent of those on home detention in 2005/06 were convicted for a violent crime, 5 per cent for a sexual offence and 19.5 per cent for drugs.
The previous National-led government introduced home detention, trailing it in 1993 and rolling it out in 1999, but Mr Power said the intention had been that it would only be used for offenders who posed a minimal risk to the community, such as those convicted of fraud or driving offences.
Mr Ririnui said in Parliament yesterday home detention was an effective sentence.
Reports showed 99 per cent of those on home detention did not reoffend during their sentence, and 98 per cent did not abscond.
He said home detention helped with rehabilitation and reintegration because accommodation and family relationships could be maintained.
- NZPA
