The cost of cultural reports has been the subject of criticism, as the amount billed to
legal aid or the
Public Defence Service for cultural reports increased from $639,311 in 2019 to $3.3 million in 2020, and reached $5.91 million for the period between July 2021 and June 2022. The additional value of the reports has also been called into question, as critics like independent justice advocate Ruth Money suggest that pre-sentence reports provided by the probation services of Department of Corrections already provide background on defendants.
Harry Tam, a
Mongrel Mob member and consultant who provides cultural reports says that distinct from the pre-sentencing reports, S27 reports are "predominantly focused on looking at the disadvantages that may have contributed to the person’s offending behaviour and options to address it". The Government's decision was criticised by People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokesperson Emmy Rākete,
Green Party Tamatha Paul, Defence Lawyer Association founder Elizabeth Hall and
Labour Party Member of Parliament
Ginny Andersen, who claimed it was punitive, would disadvantage
Māori and the working class, and impede the rehabilitation and treatment of prisoners with health and behavioural issues. By contrast, Goldsmith and
ACT party justice spokesperson
Todd Stephenson defended the scrapping of cultural reports on the grounds of their rising costs and prioritising victims' rights over their offenders. == References ==