October 12, 2014
Document a mind-changer on crime
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell may have to employ the latest resource from lobby group Rethinking Crime and Punishment on his cabinet colleagues.
The Maori Party co-leader wants a review of institutional racism in the justice system in light of the way Maori are making up a growing percentage of young people before the courts, despite falling youth crime rates.
He is already facing push back from cabinet colleagues who deny race is a factor in who police choose to apprehend and prosecute.
Rethinking spokesperson Kim Workman says new ways of thinking about crime and justice inevitably meet with resistance from politicians, the media, public servants and members of the public, even when these ideas are supported by strong evidence.
That's why the group has brought out the second of its Smart on Crime e-publication series titled What Do I Have to Do to Change Your Mind.
It looks at why people resist new ideas, and strategies to overcome resistance to change.
http://www.rethinking.org.nz/Default.aspx?page=5347.
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