Lobby group cites Irish example on fine dodging

The proposed bill could mean prison time for someone with a plethora of parking tickets. Photo / Supplied

A bill that would make jail a penalty for overdue fines has been criticised by a lobby group that says Ireland has abandoned similar legislation.

The Courts and Criminal Matters Bill, introduced last April and now before a parliamentary select committee, is intended to strengthen enforcement measures.

Among the proposed amendments, people with outstanding fines might have their driver's licence suspended. Where fines were unaffordable and unenforceable, the legislation provides for the penalty to be a prison term or home detention.

Rethinking Crime and Punishment lobby group director Kim Workman said yesterday that international research showed imprisonment for non-payment of fines was a bad idea.

"It often removes the offender's ability to earn a living, and may result in loss of regular employment," he said.

"The means of paying back the debt are taken away, once the person is in prison.

"There is a direct link between the unemployment rate and the level of imprisonment for fines non-payment. Most hardly qualify as criminals and are forced to associate with people who are. Many are victims of poverty."

As an example of the failure of such legislation, Mr Workman held up Ireland, where Minister of Justice Dermot Ahern yesterday said a similar scheme there would be replaced with "a more humane system".

"Obviously if people do go to prison, it will be because they have the money and they refused to pay," Mr Ahern said. "We're looking at other areas, given we have a problem in our prisons with overcrowding, so that only those real hardened criminals are going to prison and that we use every other opportunity to keep ordinary people who don't commit crime on a regular basis out of prison through community service orders."

Mr Workman said taxpayers would be the ultimate victims under New Zealand's proposed scheme.

- NZPA