Youth Court on Maraes

I am firmly against separate justice systems, but all for making the system more effective and this initiative seems a good one:

The Youth Court will sit at Manurewa Marae from November, and supporters say justice served in a Maori setting won’t be soft. …

Gisborne’s Te Poho o Rawiri Marae spearheaded the initiative last year, but Mr Sharples said Auckland was the logical extension of it because of the population base – one in four Maori live there.

Justice on marae was often far more uncomfortable for offenders than courtrooms, he said.

“Tamaiti [a boy] can stand in front of his family and be accounted for – it’s easy to go to a Pakeha court and go ae, ae, [yeah, yeah] and give the fingers and go out.

“But to stand in a court at your marae with your ancestors and your aunties, uncles and cousins – it’s scary. Some will think it’s soft but this is the hard option.”

I think Dr Sharples is spot on here. The change in venue could well make it more difficult for young offenders to be as disrespectful as they sometimes are in traditional courts.

And it is the same justice system, with the same Judges and same penalties. Just a different venue.

Judge Greg Hikaka will sit at Manurewa once every two weeks.

He said it was too early to say how many would go through the marae but offenders would have to be referred by the court after a family group conference.

That conference would set out a plan to address the young person’s offending which would be monitored by the marae.

But victims would not be left out of the picture as they would have to agree to it, the judge said.

And that is a vital part of it also.