Explore Candidates → New Zealand → The United Future Party on Crime and Punishment

The United Future Party on Crime and Punishment

The United States has the highest incarceration rate as well as the highest number of documented prisoners in the world. As such, how the United States defines crime and the terms of consequence for violations is an immensely important issue. This topic includes information about candidate positions on: the death penalty, hate crimes, drug policy, and mandatory minimum sentencing.

Other candidates

The issues

The United Future Party supports a non-parole policy where repeat violent offenders serve their full prison terms, often called a "life means life" policy

United Future policy is to "increase minimum non-parole periods for violent offenders and those who commit serious sexual crimes," but it has not committed to forcing those offenders to serving their full terms. A party spokesman says United Future policy also includes: Multiple violent and sexual offenders will not be eligible for bail; Introduce minimum sentences that more accurately reflect the nature of offending, the impact on victims, and the social denunciation of crime; Introduce tougher minimum penalties for child abuse and neglect, child sexual offences and child pornography; Concurrent sentences are not to be a default position. Judges to use their discretion to recommend concurrent or non-concurrent sentences.

The United Future Party opposes either outlawing gangs or making membership of gangs an aggravating factor in sentencing

United Future is not convinced that it is practical to outlaw association so is not advocating the policy, but says it will look at South Australia to see how their similar scheme works in practice. It says, "United Future takes an evidence based approach to justice and sentencing."

The United Future Party strongly supports paying compensation to victims of crime

UnitedFuture fully supports victim restoration programmes to ensure offenders compensate victims for their losses and face up to the people they have hurt. We want to recover reparation to victims through a restitution order at sentencing that would automatically deduct at least 10% of an offender's earnings.

The United Future Party supports lowering the age of criminal prosecution from the current age of 14

United Future supports the current age of 14, noting that "it is already 12 for murder and manslaughter."

The United Future Party strongly supports private sector management of prisons

United Future strongly supports private sector management of prisons and has had a members bill in the ballot this term to enable this to happen.