Tim Beveridge: Our justice system doesn't deter violence - Holiday Breakfast

It seems like far too often we’re reading a new headline about another violent crime — another murder. And it’s hard to keep up. 

But every now and again, a crime seizes your attention and makes you ask if we're heading in the right direction when it comes to addressing violent crime in New Zealand. And that case, for me, is the murder — or should I say the alleged murder — of American entomology student Kyle Whorrall.

And often, I think, when we hear about violent crimes, we try to comfort ourselves with the assumption that they’re confined to the criminal underworld — gang-on-gang, drug deals gone wrong, or some other context that feels far removed. And if we can keep our distance from that world, we’re somehow safe. An illusion of security that, perhaps, helps us sleep at night.