National to scrap good character assessments for sex offenders at sentencing | RNZ

The National Party's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith - who is currently the Justice Minister - revealed National would scrap good character assessments at sentencing for all sexual crimes, which meant harsher punishment. | Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/RNZVideo?sub_confirmation=1 As it stands, judges must consider testimonies from people who were willing to speak to an offender's character and maintain that their crime was "the exception, not the rule", Goldsmith said. "That might serve the interests of well-connected offenders, but it rarely serves the interests of victims," he said. Read full coverage of this story: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/595474/national-to-scrap-good-character-assessments-for-sex-offenders-at-sentencing