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Acritical Analysis of Part 8 of the Crimes Act 1961

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Acritical Analysis of Part 8 of the Crimes Act 1961 FAILING TO BREAK THE SILENCE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF PART 8 OF THE CRIMES ACT 1961 ANNA WATSON A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor of Laws (with Honours) at the University of Otago OCTOBER 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Geoff Hall, for giving up his Friday afternoons to provide me with invaluable advice and guidance throughout the year. I shall never again look at a sentence without scrutinising it for “clumsiness.” Thanks to the Library staff at the Law Faculty, for answering all my curly questions and tracking down a myriad of references for me. Thanks also to those who took time out to share their knowledge with me and deepen my understanding of this topic. A special thank you to my sister, Sarah, for her encouragement and scrupulous proofreading. This dissertation would not have happened without her. Finally, thank you to my flatmates, friends and especially my parents for giving me motivation, support and light relief when I needed it most. i CONTENTS Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................1 I The Emergence of Child Protection Law ...............................................................1 II Outline of the Dissertation ....................................................................................3 Chapter Two: New Zealand’s Response to Child Abuse ..................5 I Background to the Offence ..................................................................................... 5 A New Zealand Favours Voluntary Action .................................................. 5 B Background to the New Legislation .......................................................... 6 C A Renewed Vigour for Child Protection Legislation ................................ 7 II The Resulting Legislation ..................................................................................... 8 Chapter Three: Statutory Analysis .................................................... 10 I Introduction ............................................................................................................ 10 II The Provisions ....................................................................................................... 10 A Section 150A ............................................................................................. 10 1 Background to the provision .......................................................... 10 2 The meaning of “major departure” ................................................ 10 3 “Major departure” and s 195A(1)(a) ............................................. 11 B Sections 151 and 152 ................................................................................. 11 1 Who is protected? .......................................................................... 11 2 Who may be charged? .................................................................... 12 3 Requirements of the provision ....................................................... 12 4 Criminal liability ............................................................................ 14 C Section 195 ................................................................................................ 14 1 Who is protected? .......................................................................... 14 2 Who may be charged? ................................................................... 15 3 Requirements of the provision ....................................................... 15 D Section 195A ............................................................................................. 16 1 Who is protected? .......................................................................... 16 2 Who may be charged? .................................................................... 16 3 Requirements of the provision ....................................................... 17 II Remaining Ambiguities Within the Provisions .................................................... 18 A “Household Member” ............................................................................... 18 B “Staff Member” ......................................................................................... 20 C A Young Parent ......................................................................................... 21 D “Child” or “Vulnerable Adult” ................................................................. 21 E The Defendant’s Knowledge in s 195A .................................................... 22 F The Scope of Harm .................................................................................... 23 1 Sections 151 and 152 ..................................................................... 23 2 Section 195A .................................................................................. 23 (a) Death ................................................................................ 23 ii (b) Grievous Bodily Harm .................................................... 24 (c) Sexual Assault ................................................................. 24 3 Exposure to violence ..................................................................... 24 G Omission ................................................................................................... 25 H The Relevance of Personal Circumstances ............................................... 27 1 Section 150A ................................................................................. 27 2 Sections 151 and 152 ..................................................................... 27 3 Section 195A .................................................................................. 28 III Duties Upon Other Groups of People .................................................................. 28 Chapter Four: Policy Concerns .......................................................... 31 I Introduction ............................................................................................................ 31 II The Role of Domestic Violence in a Failure to Protect......................................... 31 A The Expectations Upon Mothers .............................................................. 31 B Rationalising a Mother’s Failure to Protect .............................................. 32 III The Question of Gender Disparity ....................................................................... 33 A The “Glorification of Motherhood” .......................................................... 33 B Cases Involving “Glorified Mothers” ....................................................... 34 C A Mother’s Mindset .................................................................................. 35 D Taking Note of the Position of Abused Women ....................................... 37 IV The Invisible Abuser ............................................................................................ 37 V The Role of the State ............................................................................................. 38 A The State’s Shortcomings in Passing the Legislation ............................... 38 B The State’s Responsibility Towards the Victim ........................................40 VI The Recurring Debate of Mandatory Reporting .................................................. 41 VII Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 43 Chapter Five: The Law in Practice .................................................... 44 I A Multi-Faceted Issue ............................................................................................ 44 II Is the Law Workable? ........................................................................................... 44 III Suggested Areas of Focus for Legislative Reform .............................................. 45 A Definition of Key Terms ........................................................................ 45 B Criminal Responsibility and Lawful Excuse ............................................ 46 C The Former ss 151(2) and 152(2) ............................................................. 46 D Limiting Liability in the Context of Domestic Violence .......................... 47 IV The Available Alternatives .................................................................................. 48 A Government Spending ............................................................................... 48 B Mandatory Reporting ................................................................................ 49 C Early Intervention and Prevention ............................................................ 50 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 52 Bibliography ......................................................................................... 53 iii Appendices ............................................................................................ 66 Appendix One ........................................................................................................... 66 Appendix Two .......................................................................................................... 68 Appendix Three ........................................................................................................ 70 Appendix Four .......................................................................................................... 71 iv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION I The
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