Social Services back change to ex-prisoner clean slate rules

In a submission on the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) (Additional Eligibility) Amendment Bill to Parliament’s Justice Committee, the NZCCSS said clean slate schemes increase earning potential for former prisoners and make it easier to access safe housing.

“The changes proposed in this Bill have the potential to further expand these benefits to a greater number of people who currently have criminal records and lead to reduced rates of reoffending,” the submission stated.

The Bill, introduced as a member’s bill by Labour MP Tangi Utikere, proposes to extend eligibility for the clean slate scheme to individuals who have received a custodial sentence of up to 12 months, or who have been subject to mandatory driving disqualification for repeat offending, provided they have subsequently completed a 10-year rehabilitation period, Law News reported.

Under the current law, both categories are excluded from the scheme regardless of how much time has passed or how an individual’s circumstances have changed.

In its submission, the NZCCSS, which includes Catholic Social Services as a foundation member, noted that improved access to stable employment resulting from a broader clean slate scheme may still be hindered by the period of time before the scheme would apply.

“We would strongly suggest that alongside this amendment, further support for people exiting prison to access employment would provide significant benefit,” the submission stated.

The NZCCSS also noted that access to housing can be challenging for people who have experienced time in prison, with its membership reporting that people leaving prison face complex challenges and often struggle to find suitable housing.

The submission pointed to research showing access to stable housing after release from prison has also been shown to be particularly challenging for women, presenting barriers to being reunited with children and increasing the likelihood of experiencing homelessness.

“Clean slate schemes have the potential to increase access to safe and stable housing for people who have experienced incarceration, which in conjunction with other social determinants such as employment, may reduce an individual’s risk of reoffending.”

Law News noted that public protection safeguards remain intact under the Bill. Existing exclusions for specified sexual offences continue to apply irrespective of the length of any prison sentence imposed. 

FULL STORY

Criminal Records (Clean Slate) (Additional Eligibility) Amendment Bill (NZCCSS)

Criminal Records (Clean Slate) (Additional Eligibility) Amendment Bill (NZ Parliament)

Criminal Law Committee backs extension of clean slate scheme (Law News)