Call to shame repeat offenders

Rotorua's worst recidivist criminal has 330 convictions, prompting debate as to whether our worst offenders should be publicly named and shamed.

Details of Rotorua's worst offenders were released to the Rotorua Daily Post by the Ministry of Justice, as part of a wider information request regarding New Zealand's most prolific offenders.

The ministry refused to name the offenders, or even reveal their age or genders, citing privacy concerns. But it now plans to write to the Chief District Court Judge asking that the names be made public.

The Howard League for Penal Reform and Sensible Sentencing Trust are calling for the worst recidivist criminals to be publicly named in a special list, as opposed to the standard media reporting of the cases.

Sensible Sentencing Trust Rotorua spokesman Peter Bentley said criminals who repeatedly committed crimes should be publicly named as people had a right to know of their tendencies and it might "give them [criminals] pause to think before they commit their next dishonest act".

However, Rotorua defence lawyer Aroha Cooper said a number of repeat offenders already attracted media attention and she did not think there was a need for them to be singled out in a public list.

New Zealand's worst repeat criminal has more than 1100 convictions, documents reveal.

Convictions, grouped by offence type and court cluster, were handed down between July 1980 and June 2012.

Rotorua's top 10 criminal list shows five individuals have more than 250 convictions each. Fraud and deception offences were most common, then theft.

The fifth-worst, with 255 convictions, has been convicted of a homicide-related offence.

Howard League for Penal Reform chief executive Mike Williams said hardcore conmen were the hardest to rehabilitate and naming them would benefit the public.

"These are not victimless crimes. If you know these people are conmen, you can at least avoid them."

Te Akau Waaka of the Prisoners Aid Society Rotorua helps find them accommodation and employment.

Special agencies also worked with prisoners and their families before inmates were released, she said.

"Most of our work is connecting up [prisoners] and referrals to agencies" which provided support for specialist problems like drug and alcohol addiction or violence programmes "for men that keep battering their women".

Worst 3 recidivists

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  No1 - 330 convictions: 262 for fraud/deception. Others include violence and theft, traffic offences, abduction, harassment, drugs, weapons and explosives offences.
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  No2 - 275 convictions: 208 for fraud/deception. Others include violence, theft, burglary, drugs, weapons and traffic and vehicle offences.
• 
  No3 - 265 convictions: 245 for fraud/deception. Others are violence, damage and traffic offences.

Source: Ministry of Justice