Tough on Crime: What is the Reality of New Zealand’s ‘Crime Problem’ and Life Behind the Wire

The coalition government has tripled down on crime policies here in New Zealand, swinging hard as soon as they landed in office. Phrases like “crime is out of control”, “crime is on the rise”, “get out of jail free card”, and “we will be tough on criminals” have become synonymous with this government. But what does the evidence say? Having been in prison myself, I embark in this paper to integrate both academic literature and autoethnography to demonstrate the reality of New Zealand’s “crime problem”, and the social and human loss of life behind the wire. This paper will illustrate that tough-on-crime policies are dangerous and unnecessary in the long term. It is a short-term solution with detrimental long-term impacts both socially and economically. Prisons do not rehabilitate; rather, prison creates complex criminals.