Fairness and Justice make Clean Slate review essential

The case of an Auckland man sacked from his job after his employer discovered he’d been sentenced to corrective training 21 years ago shows why the Clean Slate law needs an urgent review, Green Party Law and Order Spokesperson Metiria Turei said today.

The Green Party’s original Clean Slate Bill proposals would have protected the man, former Work and Income employee Aaron Amor who was fired last month, Mrs Turei said.

“The Clean Slate law, as it stands, doesn’t apply to people who have served custodial sentences such as corrective training. However, my former Parliamentary colleague Nandor Tanczos’ original bill would have applied to this man – and others in similar situations – who have served custodial sentences of less than six months.

“After seven years free of crime, they would be entitled to a clean slate.

“Given the Government’s policy of boot camps for teenagers, if this kind of custodial sentence is going to be used as more of a tool then those young people will be doubly penalised. Instead of being allowed to move on with their lives, they’ll be indelibly tainted and their youthful indiscretions will follow them forever.

“Youth crime is a serious issue and it’s obvious we must find an effective way of intervening to nip offending in the bud. But fairness and justice must prevail and we should not shut the door on those who turn their lives around, stay out of trouble, and become productive members of the community.

“Mr Amor’s case is a classic example. Twenty one years free of crime has got to count for something, given he was only sentenced to a short term – two months – of corrective training.

“While his case doesn’t meet the current clean slate criteria, Mr Amor clearly made a reasonable assumption that it would.

“I call on the Minister of Justice to take another look at the Clean Slate law to iron out this anomaly that is clearly unfair and has the potential to forever haunt reformed characters with the poor choices of their adolescent years.”

* Link to Nandor Tanczos’ original clean slate bill: http://www.greens.org.nz/node/17099