Before the recent election, Wellington alcohol and drug counsellor Roger Brooking offered to give a free copy of his critical expose of the justice system to every member of Parliament. His new book is called Flying Blind – How the justice system perpetuates crime and the Corrections Department fails to correct. He asked Chester Borrows (National), [...]
Archive for December, 2011
Prisoners bored to death and forced to sleep in the toilet – the case of Trevor Ludlow
Posted: December 16, 2011 in UncategorizedIn May 2006, National Finance went into receivership owing more than 2000 investors about $21 million. In October, 2011 one of the former directors, Trevor Ludlow, was sentenced to five years and seven months in jail. He was found guilty of charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office relating to theft as a person in a special relationship. [...]
$350 million missed by Peter Dunne
Posted: December 13, 2011 in UncategorizedTags: alcohol, binge drinking, cannabis, decriminalisation, drug policy, Law Commission, Peter Dunne, research
New Zealanders want the Government to toughen up – not by putting more people in prison but by tackling the death and social destruction caused by binge drinking. Research conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Health shows huge public support for moves to raise the minimum price of alcohol. The survey shows the vast majority [...]
The case of 16 year old Levi Elliot who killed another teenager in a drink driving accident illustrates a significant failing in New Zealand’s drink driving laws. Background On May 28, 2011 Mr Elliot and 17 year old Shaun Nilson were drinking at a gathering at a friend’s home in Hamilton. At 1.00am they went [...]
A Dunne deal – compulsory alcohol and drug assessments on all parolees
Posted: December 5, 2011 in UncategorizedUnited Future’s Peter Dunne has just thrashed out an agreement with Prime Minister John Key whereby Mr Dunne retains his role as associate Minister of Health and National will implement a number of United Future’s policies. Among those policies is one I have been advocating for some time – that the Parole Board should be given an [...]
See this excellent article by Gwynne Dyer about the need to decriminalise all drugs. Dyer is a London-based independent journalist, whose articles are published in 45 countries. He quotes Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize winner, and the most influential economist of the 20th century. Twenty years ago the right wing Friedman said: ”If you look at the drug [...]
