Statistic of the Day

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, August 14th, 2013 - 46 comments
Categories: prisons - Tags:

World incarceration rate: ~130 per 100,000

NZ incarceration rate: 197 per 100,000 (1.5x average)

World homicide rate: 6.9 per 100,000 (homicide only worldwide comparable crime)

NZ homicide rate: 0.9 per 100,000

46 comments on “Statistic of the Day ”

  1. richard 1

    In the OECD countries, New Zealand ranks as having the 4th highest incarceration rate –
    http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-high-budgetary-cost-of-incarceration/

    Recent prison population trend in New Zealand:
    Year Prison population total Prison population rate
    1992 4,217 (119)
    1995 4,685 (128)
    1998 5,450 (143)
    2001 5,887 (152)
    2004 6,556 (160)
    2007 7,959 (188)
    2010 8,604 (197)
    http://www.prisonstudies.org/info/worldbrief/wpb_country.php?country=202

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      Prison population has been very flat under National, sorry to break the Lefty illusion. It rose strongly under a populist “tough on crime” Labour Govt.

      Our overall prison per capita rate remains far too high, however.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.1

        National is just letting more people out early as the technology allows more bracelets to monitor them ‘at home’

        • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.1

          maybe. But for sure, Labour loved prisons and looking “tough on crime”. Prisoner numbers went up by perhaps 30% during Labour’s last term.

  2. BM 2

    Lots of criminals in NZ obviously.

    Luckily we don’t have easily obtainable fire arms otherwise our murder rate would be a lot steeper.

    • Zorr 2.1

      Don’t know about that BM

      Last I’d heard, didn’t firearms prevent murders because more firearms means ummm…

      • BM 2.1.1

        Why else do we have the 4th highest incarceration rate in the OECD.

        Our system is pretty lenient and forgiving so that does make one think that NZ is full of career crims or very slow learning individuals

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1

          Our system is excellent at formally training misguided young men in Prison University so that they come out and go on to become hard core career criminals.

          Protip: whatever the US does with its prison system – do the opposite.

          • ghostwhowalksnz 2.1.1.1.1

            You really do have ivory tower attitude to prisons. They are going to learn new tricks even when on periodic detention.

            One of the real reasons for more crime here is more people on LOW incomes.

            • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1.1.1

              How many prisons you visited mate? Just asking?

              • Tamati

                Visited the “Milton Hilton” down south before it opened. Big rooms, massive gym, nice library. Far far better than my Otago Uni hall I was staying at the time!

                • Colonial Viper

                  Small detail of the loss of your freedom to move, socialise and interact with life, friends and family.

                  But yes, knowing that you are going to get three meals a day and will stay warm in winter is something at least.

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1.1.2

          “Lenient”. Compared to where? Put up or shut up.

          • BM 2.1.1.2.1

            After having a few bushes with the law and looking at a stint in the big house.

            I can vouch for it’s leniency and I thank the justice system for that as some of us are a bit slower learning than others

            On the comparison comment.
            We’re number 98 on this list

            http://www.prisonstudies.org/info/worldbrief/wpb_stats.php?area=all&category=wb_poptotal

            • richard 2.1.1.2.1.1

              Um, that list is the total number of prisoners. Given NZ’s population, being ranked 98 is nothing to be proud of

              • BM

                I seem to be picking up on the vibe, that it’s not that there’s a disproportionate number of bad mofos out there doing all this stealing and naughty stuff that’s getting peoples backs up

                It’s that we’re locking up too many of the bad mofos that are out there doing all this stealing and naughty stuff.?

                • richard

                  You’re half right. We are locking too many people up with no additional no benefit to society. This 2009 report from your treasury buddies highlights the problem:

                  Spending in the justice sector doubled in inflation-adjusted terms, from 1994 to 2009. The increase in spending has not been linked to recorded crime rates, which have been broadly stable over the same period. Rather, cost growth has been driven primarily by the decisions of governments.

                  http://www.treasury.govt.nz/government/longterm/fiscalposition/2009/15.htm

                  • ghostwhowalksnz

                    No benefit ?

                    Just vist Australia you you wont find car yards ringed by steel bars topped by razor wire and inaccesible at night.

                    You dont find libraries with security guards as a permanent feature.

                    Guess what the Aussies have much higher police to population ratios but lower property crime.

                    The higher imprisonment rate here is due to more repeat offending for the lower end of offences. Drink drivers, burglars, repeat drug dealing etc

                    • BM

                      Yep we’re the kings of petty crime.

                      If we adopted a broken windows type of policy here it would do wonders.

                      Less of the “lets all sit around and discuss each others feeling then we’ll create a healing collage to banish the negative karma from a group” nonsense

                      More of the terrifying the fuck out of the little shits right from the get go,no tolerance at all for bad behavior, bet you’d see piss all repeat offenders.

                    • One Anonymous Knucklehead

                      Once again you are bereft of a clue. Which countries achieve the lowest recidivism rates? What do their penal policies look like?

                    • BM

                      Yep Denmark ,Sweden the mono culture white people countries.

                      Can you see a difference between them and us?

                    • One Anonymous Knucklehead

                      Yes: they have wildly different penal policies.

                      PS: Which are the multicultural societies with low recidivism rates? What do their penal policies look like?

                      I think your opinion is based on bullshit and prejudice and nothing else. No research, no evidence. Prove me wrong.

                    • richard

                      If we adopted a broken windows type of policy here it would do wonders.

                      Actually, no. The broken windows policy adopted in New York has been proven to have had no effect on crime rates. A quote for you:

                      Based on crime and jail statistics, police presence, and the demographics of each precinct, Greenberg’s analysis shows one undeniable fact: that the start of New York’s rapid reduction in crime predated the implementation of “broken windows,” and that the pace of decline appears to have been completely unaffected by its implementation. Even the premise of “broken windows” – that arrests for misdemeanors decreased felony crimes in the same areas – is contradicted by the data.

                      http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/02/11/numbers-matter-public-safety-reform/tTri3rl6g7LW9xJO1ZMIRK/story.html

                    • fender

                      BM, these two statements you make are very contradictory….

                      “I can vouch for it’s leniency and I thank the justice system for that as some of us are a bit slower learning than others”

                      “More of the terrifying the fuck out of the little shits right from the get go, no tolerance at all for bad behaviour, bet you’d see piss all repeat offenders.”

                      When I was young someone gave me good advice: Think before you stink.

                    • James

                      Just vist Australia you you wont find car yards ringed by steel bars topped by razor wire and inaccesible at night.

                      Im in Australia a lot – and that is just bullshit.

                    • Te Reo Putake

                      “Denmark ,Sweden the mono culture white people countries.”

                      Nah, bro, that’s just your ignorance talking. Both countries have significant populations of Inuit, Germanic, Roma and other ethnicities who have been there for centuries. Both countries now also have large immigrant populations, including many who don’t fit your stereotype.

            • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1.1.2.1.2

              74th out of 223 per capita incarceration rate does not equal “lenient”.

              Do you understand the meaning of the word “lenient”? Do you understand the meaning of the word “comparison”?

            • fender 2.1.1.2.1.3

              Appreciate your honesty BM but it’s been evident for some time that you are a slow learner.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.2

      No shortage of morons either.

    • Sable 2.3

      Yes just take a look at our government….

    • Draco T Bastard 2.4

      Lots of criminals in NZ obviously.

      Nope, just a punitive system that doesn’t actually help.

  3. Sable 3

    I have already posted on this subject, so this comes as no revelation. What is not known by many is that a large portion of those incarcerated suffer from serious mental illness. So much so according to a source of mine, it endemic.

    This is National and yes Labours answer to mental health issues. Treat them like criminals and lock them up. Of course exposing these people to real hard-core criminals is sure to improve the odds of them making a full recovery and not being in any way a future burden on health services.

  4. tricledrown 4

    BM a prison chaplain is a good friend of mine.
    Hey says at leasy half of the people in prison shoudn’t be their.
    Slow learners is correct a lot of prisoners have serious learning
    Difficulties.
    Mental illness prisoners who don’ t get any help.
    Alcohol is by far the biggest single reason for criminal behaviour.
    What is being done about fixing these very expensive problems
    Next to nothing.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 4.1

      Of course the ‘prison chaplain’ says half shouldnt be there, its his job to be sympathetic to the prisoners.

      Maybe he should visit a few victims, as is low income people disproportionately affected by property crime, bashings, drugs

      • Winston Smith 4.1.1

        No no the real victims of crime are the ones in jail….

      • Colonial Viper 4.1.2

        GWWNZ

        Go vote for McVicar

        But if you want to prevent future crime, and stop the creation of new victims, there needs to be a major change to how we think about crime and punishment.

    • Murray Olsen 4.2

      I agree with your good friend. At least half the people in prison could have been dealt with better in other ways. Penal policy, as in the US, is designed to control the young black male population above all else. With privatisation and the profits to be made, the situation will only get worse. Sadly, as we see here and in the Labour caucus with the likes of Phil Goff, too many Kiwis look for quick, easy, and brutal solutions.

  5. tricledrown 5

    Ghost who whatever Hey also says that their are about half? that should be incacerated and some that should never see the light of day so don’t feed bigotry.
    What Hey is saying that most recidivism is fuelrd by mainly alcohol if we dealt with the problems we wouldn’t have victims in the first place.
    Reducing the cost to the taxpayer !

    • ghostwhowalksnz 5.1

      Alcohol only reduces inhibitions if you allready are inclined to offending,

      The other side is alcohol increases testosterone levels so results in more aggression .

      So is the answer to water down the beer and wine ?

      An interesting point is the Christchurch earthquakes led to a big reduction in crime- which is now rising back to previous levels.

      So neither were less grog of lighter sentences responsible.

      More likely is the small group that is responsible for 80% of offending moved away.

  6. James 6

    You seem to forget that people are in prison because …. shock horror… they broke the law.

    Its a consequence for their action.

    Dont want to go to prison …. dont to shit that is illegal.

    Its simple as anything. a Moron could understand this.

    Yes – misspent youth in my past also, so not whiter than white. Friends (and myself) arrested for stupid stuff. Difference – I stopped and grew up, took responsibility for myself. Some of them didnt.

    I have no sympathy for them. Sell drugs, bresk into houses, belt somebody up – there is a consequence for this.

    Hugging them and giving them a benefit is not the answer.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      You seem to forget that people are in prison because …. shock horror… they broke the law.

      As my father put it:
      Laws are made to be broken.

      Always question the law as quite a few of them happen to be wrong. A good example are our laws regarding drugs. I can go down to the wholesaler and buy as much of one type of drug as I wish and yet I can’t buy another type because of the law even though the other type causes far less social issues.

      Hugging them and giving them a benefit is not the answer.

      No, it’s only part of the answer. Excluding them from society, as you wish to do, will only push them to be even more anti-social.

      • Anne 6.1.1

        As my father put it:
        Laws are made to be broken.

        Oh dear, your father sounds like mine was DTB… a bit of a renegade. He only broke little laws but he enjoyed doing it. It was a way of saying “stuff you bastards” to the Establishment. I fear he passed his naughty ways on to his daughter. 🙁

  7. James 7

    Sorry I thing you are wrong. The law is the law you don’t get to choose what ones you like. You have to follow them all to keep our of jail.

    If you don’t like them you can lobby your mp or vote for a party that selects to change them. But just choosing to break them and then bitching when you get arrested and jailed. Is silly. (not you obv but in general)

    • Colonial Viper 7.1

      Hey james, its been shown that brown people in NZ get stopped by cops more frequently and also sent to prison more often and for longer than white people, even for very similar crimes.

      What do you think about that?

      • ghostwhowalksnz 7.1.1

        Also commit more crimes than others.

        Really the root of the problem is that brown people are predominantly in the lower income group and this is where most criminals are to found

        Easy when you look at it this way

  8. Venezia 8

    BUNJI- which year are these figures for please?

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