Prison Population Down, Violent Crime Up
November 21, 2022
PHOTO: National Party
It should be no surprise that violent crime has increased when the prison population and rehabilitation services continue to decline, National’s Corrections spokesperson Simon O’Connor says.
“The prison population has decreased by 24 per cent under Labour. At the same time, violent crime has increased by 21 per cent, and gang membership is up by 51 per cent.
“Labour has an explicit target to reduce the prison population without a plan to reduce crime. This recklessness demonstrates public safety is not a priority for this Government.
“Moreover, data demonstrates a record low number of offences resulted in a prison sentence in the latest year, representing an overall decrease of 44 per cent under Labour. This means that while violent crime has risen, prison is being used less as a tool to remove offenders from circulation and provide them rehabilitation before they return to our communities.