“Contrasts in Tolerance” in a Single Jurisdiction: The Case of New Zealand
Abstract
There is considerable literature on the causes of punitiveness in late modern society. Penal tolerance and its causes are less well studied. Both studies of punitiveness and tolerance have relied on analysis of single jurisdictions across time, or comparatively across jurisdictions. New Zealand offers a perhaps unique case study of a jurisdiction that hosted a tolerant and progressive youth justice and a punitive adult justice system in the same time period. This article considers three factors that have operated differently in each system to promote punitiveness or tolerance in the two decades from 1989. These are the mode of legislative and policy development, the participation of victims of crime in the criminal process, and how legislation and policy are implemented by professional decision makers.
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Statutes Cited
Children and Young Persons Act 1974(NZ).
Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 (NZ).
Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (UK).
Parole Act 2002 (NZ).
Sentencing Act 2002 (NZ).
Victims’ Rights Act 2002 (NZ).
Biographies
Nessa Lynch holds a PhD in Law and is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She teaches and researches in the areas of youth justice, sentencing and criminal law.
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Article first published online: August 8, 2013
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