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Act MP David Garrett has come out in fierce support of the controversial "three strikes" legislation, saying the law will reduce crime by 10-20% and target only the most dangerous offenders.
Earlier today, Garrett said he thought a 10-20% decrease in crime because of the law was realistic.
"I don't have a crystal ball. I can't say whether it will be 10%, 20%, but I would expect a marked reduction once the policy is fully in place."
The bill, passed by parliament yesterday, denies parole to those with a third conviction for one of 40 specified offences, and was strongly opposed by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party.
It went through its third reading last night on a vote of 63-58, with support from National and Act.
It means that those committing a serious violent or sexual offence will receive a standard sentence and a warning on the first offence, generally a jail term with no parole. They will be given a further warning on the second offence, then the maximum penalty for a third offence with no parole.
It will apply to people over 18 and is not retrospective.
Garrett said the law will only directly affect a sections of criminals.
"We're talking about a small defined discreet group of serious recidivist violent offenders."
He also disputes Police Minister Judith Collins' predictions that results will not be seen for 5-10 years.
"From today... the criminals across the country, both inside and outside jail, will be aware that the game has changed and that the rules have changed and that the consequences, more particularly, have got much more serious," he says.
The Act MP said the policy worked through "incapacitation and deterrence", and that the previous system did not do enough to discourage dangerous criminal activity.
"The point is that for the past 30 or 40 years the consequences have not been that scary. They've just got a lot scarier.
"By incapacitation of the bad guys... put very simply, when you are put in jail for 14 years for ag (aggravated) robbery, or 20 years for rape, you can't be doing it again for that period."
But Maori Party MP Hone Harawira disagrees the bill's promise to reduce crime.
"Just by putting a guy in jail for the rest of his life doesn't stop the fact that other people are in the same conditions and are likely to start heading down the same path."
Harawira said the policy was "outright bloody racism" against Maori.
However, Collins said the bill upheld a government pledge to remove eligibility for parole for the worst repeat violent offenders.
"Parole is a privilege that will not be available to those who fail to take heed of warnings and continue to commit serious violence crimes," she said.
