Post by Kiwi Frontline on Nov 16, 2017 16:14:09 GMT 12
MĀORI LAWYER SAYS IT'S TIME TO ABOLISH PRISONS
A Māori lawyer and social justice advocate says it's time to abolish New Zealand prisons and take lessons from how law and order was historically approached by Māori.
Moana Jackson will give an address tonight in Wellington explaining why Māori and other indigenous peoples didn't have prisons prior to colonisation.
Mr Jackson said the United Nations and other international human rights bodies have found the operation of prisons in this country to be in breach of human rights.
Mr Jackson said Māori traditionally dealt with crime differently, with an emphasis on restoring the relationship between the person who caused harm and the person whom harm was inflicted upon.
He said Māori sought to impose sanctions for the wrong and in the long-term, rebuild the relationship that was damaged.
"In the Pākehā system if someone is charged with something the question they're asked in court is do you plead guilty or not guilty?
"There's no word for 'guilty' in the Māori language and so the question asked instead was, 'do you know who you have harmed'? In other words, do you know what the relationship or the potential relationship is that has been damaged?....
www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/343975/maori-lawyer-says-it-s-time-to-abolish-prisons
A Māori lawyer and social justice advocate says it's time to abolish New Zealand prisons and take lessons from how law and order was historically approached by Māori.
Moana Jackson will give an address tonight in Wellington explaining why Māori and other indigenous peoples didn't have prisons prior to colonisation.
Mr Jackson said the United Nations and other international human rights bodies have found the operation of prisons in this country to be in breach of human rights.
Mr Jackson said Māori traditionally dealt with crime differently, with an emphasis on restoring the relationship between the person who caused harm and the person whom harm was inflicted upon.
He said Māori sought to impose sanctions for the wrong and in the long-term, rebuild the relationship that was damaged.
"In the Pākehā system if someone is charged with something the question they're asked in court is do you plead guilty or not guilty?
"There's no word for 'guilty' in the Māori language and so the question asked instead was, 'do you know who you have harmed'? In other words, do you know what the relationship or the potential relationship is that has been damaged?....
www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/343975/maori-lawyer-says-it-s-time-to-abolish-prisons
