The recent case of a teenage rapist who was sentenced to nine months of home detention has sparked debate across New Zealand.

Hundreds recently took to the streets in protest at the sentencing, with placards questioning the justice system, accusing it of failing victims and giving out what protesters saw as a light sentence. 

So what was the justification for his sentencing? Is enough emphasis being placed on the harm suffered by the victim? And is it perhaps time to look at how New Zealand’s just system could be changed? 

Today, Dr Alice Mills, a senior lecturer in criminology at Auckland University, joins Damien for discussion about whether New Zealand’s criminal sentences are simply too light.   

Host: Damien Venuto
Editor/Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills