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Jarrod Gilbert: Act's prison policy a step in the right direction

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Sun, 26 Feb 2017, 7:48AM
A sociologist believes the Act Party's new policy on prisoners is a creative idea. (Photo/File)
A sociologist believes the Act Party's new policy on prisoners is a creative idea. (Photo/File)

Jarrod Gilbert: Act's prison policy a step in the right direction

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Sun, 26 Feb 2017, 7:48AM

A sociologist believes the Act Party's new policy on prisoners is a creative idea.

The policy aimed at cutting down reoffending, will see eligible inmates have their sentences reduce by up to six weeks, for every year of their term, if they complete literacy, numeracy and driver licensing courses .

Dr Jarrod Gilbert of Otago University said corrections needs that type of creative thinking.

"I think it's a really creative idea - that sort of creative thinking is what corrections requires as our prison population continues to increase past 10,000."

Dr Gilbert said the policy won't solve the issue overnight, but sees the policy as a step in the right direction.

"There's absolutely no chance at all that any of David Seymour's or even collectively the Act Party's proposals will be a cure-all, but we do need to start trialling different ways of doing things because what we're doing at the moment isn't working."

 

 

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