Praise from all sides

The “Fresh Start” programme proposed by John Key for young offenders has been endorsed by both the conservative Sensible Sentencing Trust and the liberal Prison Fellowship. First the SST:

I think what John Key is putting out there is the first time I have seen a political party offer some constructive policy which I believe will turn this around.

And then Kim Workman from the PF:

Fresh Start, on the other hand, promises to use the most advanced expertise in youth offending that New Zealand has to offer, and describes an environment which provides a mix of accountability and support.

Graeme Dingle also is supportive:

Mr Key’s plan would let Youth Courts order young offenders on to mentoring programmes such as those run by Project K and Big Buddy.

Project K co-founder Graeme Dingle said this was “absolutely common sense”

And so is the NZ Herald editorial:

Those are the sorts of solutions the country needs to hear. The problem has become too serious for punitive measures that merely serve political postures. National has given evidence of solid research and settled on some practical steps.

Today the Prime Minister needs to do more than recite what her Government has done to deal with crime. Clearly it has not done enough.

That balance of both carrot and stick is what has made the package so palatable I believe.  There is a lesson there for other policy areas.