ABSTRACT
In New Zealand, the government and the courts thus treat violent crime seriously and over the last 30 years, in particular, have taken stern measures to control it. A presumption of imprisonment now exists for most crimes of violence, average sentences have increased and gaining parole has become more difficult. The Criminal Justice Act 1985, despite mandating imprisonment for serious violence, had been largely directed at limiting incarceration by promoting community-based alternatives such as periodic detention. However, highly publicised incidents of serious crime attracted increasing attention and aggravated public interest. After 1985, violent crime continued to climb; in fact it more than doubled again in next ten years. An early apogee was reached in 1995, just four years after unemployment peaked at 10.5 per cent, then violent crime stabilised, rose slowly to a new peak in 2009, then dropped back again. Much of the change is accounted for by shifts in assaults, which account for about two-thirds of all violence.
