Grant to help AUT researchers create court sentencing reforms

Auckland University of Technology has received a philanthropic grant of more than $450,000 to develop alternatives to prison sentences for people struggling with drug addiction and mental illness.

The AUT project will look at potential reforms to New Zealand’s criminal justice system to give judges a more diverse choice of treatment programmes for those affected by addiction and mental stress.

The research team will be led by AUT legal academics Warren Brookbanks, Khylee Quince and Katey Thom. They will produce recommendations for changes to the NZ court system, as well as assessing policy and legal implications.