Chester goes soft on crims
Shall we have a sweepstake on when the first big punch up takes place before parties …NBR explains (paid content):
Criminal re-offending may be linked to where bad guys sit in court.
And in what has been described by one senior lawyer as “The Inmates are Running the Asylum”, the justice ministry is about to test the theory at North Shore district court.
From early next year defendants – who traditionally stand in the dock at the side of the courtroom – will move to the front of the court alongside their lawyer.
The theory is that defendants standing in the dock at the side of the court do not “engage” with the court process and therefore reoffend.
Moving defendants to the front of the court, sitting or standing directly in front of a judge, is reckoned to be more “inclusive” and likely to prevent reoffending.
Believe this or not, courts minister Chester Borrows thinks it is a great idea and chief district court judge Jan Marie Doogue has approved the pilot.
Apparently justice minister Judith Collins is not involved.
