Downward trend in crime
 26 February 2008
 
 The incidence of crime in New Zealand has steadily decreased over the last decade,
 according to a recent study.

 "This is contrary to popular perception," says Julia Tolmie, co-editor of Criminal
 Justice in New Zealand (published by Lexis Nexis) and associate professor of law at
 The University of Auckland.

 "What has changed is that the amount of people who are being prosecuted and the
 sentences that they are getting have both increased. In other words, the numbers
 we are locking up for committing crimes have been rapidly increasing in recent
 years even though crime is not growing."

 In 2006/2007 there were 102.5 recorded offences for every thousand people compared
 with 128.5 in 1996/1997.

 "These figures do not suggest that crime rates have been ‘spiralling’ as suggested
 in media reports when the 2006/2007 figures were released," says Ms Tolmie.

 "The punitive ‘sentencing creep’ which has occurred over the last decade appears
 to be largely unrelated to the incidence or seriousness of criminal offending.

 "Sending yet more people to prison does not deter them from committing more crime.
 As well as being ineffective it is prohibitively expensive."

 Ms Tolmie’s findings form a chapter in the book Criminal Justice in New Zealand
 which is being launched at the Law School this Friday (29 February).

 The book is the first to deal comprehensively with the New Zealand criminal justice
 system. It looks at what causes people to commit crime, current debates and trends
 in criminal justice, the incidence and processing of crime, and all aspects of the
 criminal justice process from policing through to sentencing.

 There are also chapters on Maori, women, youth and mentally disordered offenders
 and on women’s experiences as both offenders and victims of crime. The relationship
 between the media and what the public know about crime is discussed.

 "The book aims to cut through some of the erroneous impressions that the public
 may have about what is happening in criminal justice by providing a more realistic
 account," says Ms Tolmie. 

 26 February 2008

 http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/about/news/articles/2008/02/crime_incidence.cfm


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