By Tess Bartlett - Rethinking Crime and Punishment

[New Zealand was] one of the safest countries in the Western world.But while I was out there working frantically [as a farmer] andgaining money I allowed the country that I loved to deteriorate towhat it is.(Chamberlain, 2006: 74)Here, McVicar is blaming himself for not intervening and allowing insidious elites tolet the country deteriorate to the state that it is in, where there is a lack of respect andaccountability.One only has to look to the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s mission statement to gain asense of its far­reaching aspirations. The statement does not mention direct victims,as it is understood that we are all potential victims of crime, as noted previously.Instead, it reads as follows:To obtain a large base of community support, and ensure safety forall New Zealanders from violent and criminal offending, througheducation, development of effective penal policies, and the promotionof responsible behaviour, accountable parenting, and respect for eachother at all levels of society.(Sensible Sentencing Trust, 2008a: 1, emphasis added)This assurance of safety is somewhat idyllic and has managed to draw a wide net ofsupport for the Trust, especially from elderly members of society (such as GreyPower New Zealand) (McVicar, 2007a). Such people have been at the forefront ofthe effects of restructuring in New Zealand society and have experienced the variousshifts that have taken place since the post­war years. Moreover, their anxieties andinsecurities are likely to be crystallised by the representation of crime in the media.As a consequence, the Trust’s aspirations became increasingly attractive. As well assafety, the other characteristics mentioned in the mission statement such asresponsibility, accountability and respect are all attributes that promote effectivesentencing policy and appear ‘liberal’ in nature. However, on closer inspection, themission statement seems somewhat misleading as the objectives set out by the Trustare highly punitive.The Sensible Sentencing Trust’s objectives focus on what is believed to be the‘sensible’ sentencing of offenders; sentences which would involve the harsh47