Turia rejects calls for tougher justice

A society crying out for more punitive sentences does not seek justice, reconciliation or healing, says Associate Corrections Minister Tariana Turia.

In notes for a speech to the Howard League for Penal Reform in Christchurch, Mrs Turia talked of a system of justice based on the "tangata whenua world".

"The cry for longer, more punitive sentences is to me a sign not of a society with individuals seeking justice, reconciliation or healing, but of a society with individuals seeking a negative outcome."

As an example of how restorative justice might work, she cited the beheading of the John Ballance statue in Moutoa Gardens in 1994, but did not mention that her son was the offender.

Mark Turia said last month that he would smash the statue again if it was replaced. He was sentenced to three months in prison for wilful damage after refusing to serve a sentence of periodic detention.

Mrs Turia said whanau, hapu and iwi could have met the descendants of Ballance to discuss their contemporary and historical relationships, and agree on an appropriate response.

This could have restored balance to relationships that had been fragmented for more than 100 years.

"It may well be that the young man who decapitated the statue of Ballance would not have eventually spent three months in jail."

National Party police spokesman Tony Ryall said the speech made a mockery of Labour's tough crime stance.

"They just can't seem to get the message," he said.

"How out of touch are these people?"

Violent crime was going through the roof and people were being beaten up all the time, he said.

"Here we have a Cabinet minister saying, 'Don't worry, be happy'."

- NZPA