Five alternatives to ‘tough on crime’

Aaron Hendry argues a punitive approach to crime creates more victims, Newsroom reports, saying it’s time we moved past worn-out clichés and began responding rather than reacting. “In my mahi as a youth worker over the past 10 plus years, here are some of the solutions I’ve seen,” Hendry says. “1: Understand the context. 2: Resource our communities. 3: Invest in restorative justice approaches. 4: Focus on prevention.” He adds, “The tough on crime rhetoric fails because it continues to ignore the underlying issues that are contributing to crime in the first place.”