things I've read this week
A little round-up of some of the things I've read this week:
The NT's dangerous addiction to punishment - a quick rundown of the criminal justice situation in Australia's Northern Territory. It's not a pretty sight:
The Northern Territory’s soaring imprisonment rates, punitive youth justice policies and rejection of expert advice reveal a system failing Indigenous communities and strengthening the case for urgent Commonwealth intervention in justice.
Hipkins unleashes on Oranga Tamariki's "systemic issues" - Chris Hipkins gets righteously angry at OT:
Hipkins told RNZ on Tuesday morning he had been "absolutely appalled" at what he had heard about the incident.
"Oranga Tamariki have had decades of reports indicating that they need to do better. They're still not fixing that.
"We have to drive a much greater focus on improving the way things are operating in youth residential facilities," he told RNZ.
Dangerous copper, metals thefts causing millions in damage - of course, there are bigger issues than the monetary cost, like, for example, the risks to the thieves and community safety. And there may well be reasons for all this high-risk thievery. But what would I know?
Citizenship can cost more than a passport Dr Eric Crampton on the overly simplistic policy announcements from ACT and NZ First, and how things actually are in the real world:
A permanent resident’s reluctance to become a citizen does not necessarily mean any lack of commitment to their new home or reluctance to become a “real” New Zealander. They may simply face costs that the New Zealand born have not imagined.
It is hard to see who benefits from a policy strong-arming residents into taking up citizenship. People pay the same taxes either way.
New Zealand has done well by being a welcoming place that does not make life unnecessarily hard for its permanent residents. I hope that this year’s election does not break one of the country’s substantial advantages.
Young man charged with assault after attempted citizen's arrest. The government was warned this was a bad idea. And there's more here going into more detail about how this case shows the citizen's arrest law was a bad idea.
And speaking of bad law the government was warned about: Boot camps are back. Again. Passed under urgency to avoid scrutiny. Again. Labour's Willow Jean Prime:
"Does this government just ignore all the evidence and all the experts, and continue to push ahead their political agenda?
And the Greens' Tamatha Paul:
"This is a response to a campaign against the most vulnerable young people in New Zealand, and it doesn't align with what the actual evidence says around youth crime, and that is why it is a moral panic."