Judges

Greetings to the Judges of New Zealand On 20 March 2003, I wrote to all of you (one hundred and thirty one letters in total), asking a minute of your time, to consider if it would be a good idea to return to the teaching of the Ten Commandments in our school systems, in order to clearly define the difference between right and wrong. Pointing out that the Book of Judges reveals that when people turned their backs upon the Law of God, they were oppressed; but when they restored their loyalty to God's Law, their prosperity and well-being were also restored. Thank you for your replies that ranged from kind acceptance that "Our system is based on the Judaeo Christian heritage, and in good measure our law reflects basic precepts such as are contained in the Ten Commandments" to a peppery reply, "I consider that it would be completely inappropriate for judges to comment on the topic you raised". It is my hope to communicate with you through this forum, because it will save paper and stamps.

Working Together

We are aware of the recent legislative changes, in structure and processes, that guide decisions in the criminal justice system.

The Bail Act 2000, introduced restrictions on bail for serious, and repeat offenders, and enabled breaches of bail conditions to be recorded so they can be taken into account in the future.

The Sentencing Act 2002, aimed to increase the transparency and consistency of sentencing decisions, and abolishing corrective training and suspended sentences, shown to increase the prison population.

The Parole Act 2002 identified community safety as the Board's paramount consideration, when making decisions about an offender's release into the community.

The Victims' Rights Act 2002 strengthened and extended the rights of victims across the criminal justice system.

The Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003 modernized the law relating to the processes, and options for mentally impaired offenders, in line with legal and social changes.

These legislative changes were backed up by a range of policy and operational initiatives, including restorative justice, piloted in four District Courts.

I sourced the information above from a document released by the Hon Mark Burton on 23 March 2006.

The Training Programmes that we have developed, over the past decade, will fit in nicely with the legislation listed above, as well as with the Ten Commandments.

Would you be so kind as to read through the Training Programmes, listed on page two of this website, and make referrals, so that we can work together in forming responsible citizens?  Thank you for your expressions of concern.