Racial profiling an issue, says ex-prisoner

A former criminal believes unconscious racism is behind the disproportionately high rate of Māori in prison.

Joe*, 51, has been in and out of prison for almost 30 years.

He believes Māori are disadvantaged from the day they are born.

“The injustice Māori experience starts at home . . . my upbringing and environment meant crime was the only thing I knew.”

Māori are said to make up around 50 per cent of the prison population despite making up 15 per cent of New Zealand's population.

Joe said racial profiling by police contributes to why so many Māori end up in court.

“When I am pulled over I often think whoa - his body language has changed. His tone of voice has changed . . . he is speaking in an aggressive manner and asking things like ‘does this car belong to you?’”

In 2014, 67 per cent of Māori charged with offences were prosecuted, compared to 61 per cent of Pākehā.

Criminal defence barrister and JustSpeak co-founder Julia Spelman said these statistics reflect who is able to get a diversion.

A diversion is given at the discretion of police and allows people who have been apprehended to avoid a formal criminal prosecution.

“Sometimes, whether or not they mean to, police apply a racial prejudice in thinking that some people might be worth that chance more than others,” said Ms Spelman.

She also believed social inequality is a contributing factor to Māori having a higher chance of being prosecuted.

“A lot of Pākehā kids are fortunate to have families who are well versed in their rights and better resourced to be able to push for a desirable outcome such as a diversion, or they can hire a lawyer to help.”

The Police Commissioner’s Māori Focus Forum, made up of iwi representatives from around the country, developed the Turning of the Tide prevention strategy in 2012.

A key target was to reduce police apprehensions of Māori which result in prosecution by 25 per cent over the next two years.

Associate professor in sociology at the University of Auckland, Tracey McIntosh, said the strategy showed police recognised there was an issue and are setting targets to deal with it.

However, Dr McIntosh believed no single strategy was enough to reduce the statistics.

“We have a range of systemic and structural issues that lead to disproportionality along every part of the criminal justice system.

“A lot of those issues pertain to poverty, to marginalisation, to stigmatisation, to racism. We have to address those issues,” said Dr McIntosh.

Police were not available for comment due to a high volume of media requests.

*Joe’s name has been changed to protect his identity.