Celia Lashlie's Journey to Prison was a huge success in 2002. In it, she told the story of the media furore that erupted when she made her now-famous statement: 'there is a blond, angelic-faced five-year-old sitting in a classroom in New Zealand and he is coming to prison . . .
On his way, he will probably kill someone.' Not only did this statement bring her to the attention of the public at large, it also lost her her job. In Journey to Prison Celia Lashlie examines the origins issues of crime in New Zealand, the way we punish offenders, the effectiveness of prison (for both men and women), parental responsibility, the role of drugs, where education comes in and the role of state institutions. Underpinning her argument is the need for the community as a whole to take responsibility for the incidence of crime in our society. In this revised edition, Celia adds an extra chapter that examines recent high profile cases such as the Michael Choy murder, developments in the case of the 60-year-old Waitara murder victim, the release of several key female prisoners, and issues surrounding siting of new prisons. A high level of public interest and the topical nature of the work make this a must-read book for 2003.
