Community Sentence Patterns in New Zealand (published April 2012) investigates the reasons why there are relatively high volumes of offenders on community sentences in New Zealand compared with other jurisdictions. It compares criminal justice statistics from New Zealand to England/Wales, Australia, Scotland and the United States.
The report provides an update on community sentence patterns in New Zealand, and how these patterns have changed over the last three decades. It sheds light on why New Zealand’s community sentences rate is higher than similar countries. The report also provides an overview of some of the difficulties in making international comparisons, which are applicable to other areas of social research.