Relaying the below which was in my inbox that could be good to put in leaflets stuck on windscreens (considering it), as I think it's important our lawmakers give us practical effective laws not coleslaws (word salads that instead look tasty) instead.

If there is a good argument for supporting this kaupapa of long term segregation for proven 3 time violent offenders which would drop murder convictions 25% by supporting the 3 strike bill in original form , apart from those laid out below, it is the look on this killer womans face (see link).

Who threatened to kill again "one twin down, one to go" but only got 4 years on a murder rap, that was plea bargained down to manslaughter. She'd not qualify for even a first strike under the watered down bill criteria either. A baseball bat home invading killer - but no strike available. Thats crap - whats the world come to, this bill should be done in original shape first thing YESTERDAY.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post...lington/769116

I say never mind the prison squeeze - just use the bunks / containers right, assess dangerousness with a charge or checklist if need be and eject all the petty thieves, pot smokers and white collar crooks. Surely we can accomodate the Bells and other obvious freaks on a path to heinous killings and rampages. The fundaments of what we're doing are broke - this bill is about getting back to basics. Clean those cells out and put annoying people on home D then there'll be plenty of room for the enforced isolation of obvious menaces I reckon. Do we care enough or are Kiwis apathetic till hit?

From inbox

The ACT party promoted a "three strikes and you're out" policy at the last election. You will recall our party's campaign which highlighted the fact that 77 people - as at November 2008 - would have been alive if, at the time they were killed, a "three strikes" law of the type proposed by ACT was in place. That figure was based on information provided by the Justice Department under the Official Information Act.

The 77 figure increased to 78 during the campaign with the conviction of Liam Reid for the murder of Emma Agnew. Reid had numerous previous convictions, many of them for serious violence. The sad roll call of victims whose deaths would have been prevented by "three stikes" now stands at 79 with the conviction of Charlie Karaka for the murder of Fitzgerald Risati, a young Samoan choir boy, murdered by Karaka because he thought Risati looked like someone who had stolen Karaka's gang patch earlier in the day. Karaka had 48 previous convictions, many of them for serious violence.

As part of its confidence and supply agreement with ACT, National agreed to support "three strikes" legislation at first reading, and have it considered by the Law and Order Select Committee. The ACT party decided that the Bill would have more chance of becoming law if it was incorporated into National's Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill, and it is that Bill which is about to be reported back to Parliament.

Unfortunately the "three strikes" component of the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill contains a significant modification from ACT's original proposal, which defined a "strike" as a conviction for a specified offence of serious violence. As presently drafted, to gain a strike, a criminal must be convicted of a specified offence AND receive a sentence of five years imprisonment upon conviction. This makes a huge difference to the Bill's effect.

Justice Department data show that NONE of the 77 people referred to in ACT's campaign would have been saved by the Bill in its present form - in fact NONE of the 420 people currently in jail for murder would have been prevented from killing by the current Bill. Although many of them had numerous previous convictions, none have received three separate sentences of five years for their prior offending.

PUBLIC OPINION WILL INFLUENCE THE NATIONAL PARTY

Sources tell us that the National Party's attitude to the Bill from here on will be strongly influenced by public opinion. NOW is the time to make your feelings known, by way of letters to the editor and on talkback radio. There is still time to have the Bill amended so it will have its originally intended effect.

Put simply, if you want a "three strikes" policy which will be effective, you need to let the Nats know that you wish the Bill to proceed in its original form, i.e that a criminal is credited with a "strike" on being CONVICTED of a specified offence, regardless of the sentence handed down.