Leading from the front issuu

Mike: I’m not surprised. Why did you start?
Pat: I went to Norway to visit Nils Christie who looks at
prisons and Restorative Justice. The way Scandinavians
look at justice is, ‘Let’s help fix this person up, he belongs
to us”, and when I came back to New Zealand and saw
the way that Laws, the [former] mayor of Whanganui,
castigated him, humiliated him, I thought that wasn’t
right. Plus, I’d never seen a human beast before so I
thought I’d go visit and see what one was like.
Mike: What’s he like?
Pat: He’s a survivor. He’s had an horrific life, which he
isn’t blaming on anybody but on the other hand, given as
Corrections say themselves, given a fair go, who knows?
But they said to me that they can’t do anymore, it’s over
to the public, it’s up to the community. So why did he fall
through the cracks? If we try and find out why he did
and try and help him, there would be fewer victims. But
we don’t look at it like that. We just keep filling the prisons
and prisons don’t turn out people who create fewer
victims.
Mike: What do you talk about?
Pat: We talk about fishing and I go out on the wharf
fishing with him, he’s a brilliant fisherman. Sometimes
he needs the protection of a few unemployed people,
or from the gangs. I think Laws has created a situation
where people go and hunt him out. We talk about gardening.
He propagates seeds, something he learnt from
his mother. I’ve rung his mother to find out how he lived
and I’ve even quietly been in touch with several of his
victims.
Mike: Do you reckon you’re making a difference?
Pat: Well, you must deal with human nature, because
if you ostracise and alienate people you turn them inwards.
At least he writes me a letter and occasionally
rings me up, and I’ll stick to him.
Mike: Good on you, Pat. Pat Magill — who visits Stewart
Murray Wilson and wants others to do something similar.
You can’t argue with his argument really, can you?
Above: Image by Shane Rounce
INTRODUCING
PARS — DRIVEN
TO TURN
PRISONERS
INTO
TAXPAYERS
Prisoners Aid & Rehabilitation Service Trust
(PARS) operates in New Zealand and had its
beginnings in Dunedin in 1877. It is guided by
the mission statement, ‘Supporting offenders
and their families’. The trust spread to the major
centres by 1900 and Whanganui District PARS
was established in 1967.
Services are varied and cover assistance to
find suitable and sustainable accommodation,
wrap around support in the community where
needed and support with physical, mental and
emotional wellbeing.
Clients range from people held in custody
(sentenced and on remand), those recently released
from prison, as well as other offenders;
people charged with offences, plus family and
whānau of people in the above categories.
“We aim to treat everyone equally, with respect
and understanding of cultural differences,”
says PARS Whanganui manager, Steve
Trelour. “Criminal behaviour affects not only the
immediate victim but also the offender, their
family/whānau and the community as a whole.
All individuals need to be responsible for their
actions and the consequences.” www.communityhouse.org.nz
172
Restorative Justice – for an unjust justice system