Sentencing Reforms to Ensure Serious Consequences for Criminals

"In recent years, there has been a concerning trend where the courts have imposed fewer and shorter prison sentences despite a 33 percent increase in violent crime," Mr. Goldsmith stated.

The Government is reforming sentencing to ensure that criminals face serious consequences for their actions and that victims are prioritized, announced Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith.

"In recent years, there has been a concerning trend where the courts have imposed fewer and shorter prison sentences despite a 33 percent increase in violent crime," Mr. Goldsmith stated.

"Public confidence in the ability of our sentencing system to deter and denounce offending has diminished. This Government is committed to restoring law and order in New Zealand, ensuring that offenders face serious consequences for their criminal actions.

"The changes we are making send a strong message that victims are the priority of this Government rather than offenders."

The upcoming reforms will strengthen the criminal justice system by:

Capping Sentence Discounts: Judges will be limited to a 40 percent cap on sentence discounts when considering mitigating factors unless it would result in manifestly unjust sentencing outcomes.

Preventing Repeat Discounts: Youth and expressions of remorse will no longer automatically result in lenient sentences. Offenders must demonstrate serious efforts to reform their behavior.

Addressing Serious Retail Crime: A new aggravating factor will address offences against sole-charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected, as committed to in the National-Act coalition agreement.

Encouraging Cumulative Sentencing: For offences committed while on bail, in custody, or on parole, cumulative sentencing will be encouraged to denounce behavior that indicates a disregard for the criminal justice system, as committed to in the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement.

Implementing a Sliding Scale for Guilty Pleas: A maximum sentence discount of 25 percent will be available for early guilty pleas, reducing to a maximum of 5 percent for guilty pleas entered during the trial. This aims to prevent undue discounts for late-stage guilty pleas and avoid unnecessary trials that are costly and stressful for victims.

Considering Victims' Interests: Sentencing principles will be amended to require consideration of any information provided to the court about victims' interests, committed to in both coalition agreements.

"These reforms clearly signal an expectation that appropriate consequences are imposed and the needs of victims are prioritized," Mr. Goldsmith said.

"Judges will continue to have discretion to consider the individual circumstances of each case to ensure sentencing does not lead to manifestly unjust outcomes."

Mr. Goldsmith emphasized that this announcement is part of the Government's broader effort to restore law and order. "We are delivering 500 additional police officers and giving them more powers to go after criminal gangs, speeding up court processes, restoring Three Strikes legislation, establishing military-style academies, and creating a Serious Young Offender category to make powerful interventions in the lives of young offenders," he said.