A $50 levy will be imposed, from next month, on people convicted of offences, in a move to help victims of serious crime.
From next month, anyone - including companies - sentenced in a district or High Court will face an automatically imposed fee of $50, which will be used to fund entitlements and services for victims of serious crime.
Projections by the Ministry of Justice forecast the offender levy will collect $13.6 million during the first four years.
Offenders will be required to arrange payment before they leave the court, and would have 28 days to pay, with people convicted of multiple offences required to pay only one offender levy.
Justice Ministry collections acting general manager Mark Thomas confirmed the policy would not be retrospective, and there were no plans to raise the levy in the "foreseeable future".
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar said the levy was a "step in the right direction".
Whether offenders would pay the levy, was the only major concern for the trust, he said.
Justice Minister Simon Power will officially launch the offender levy in Wellington today, before it comes into force on July 1.
A $50 offenders levy will go towards:
• A funeral grant of $4500 to families of homicide victims, on top of the $5500 available through ACC.
• A court attendance grant of $124 per person per day for up to five adult members of a homicide victim's family.
• An increase in the discretionary grant for families of homicide victims who are suffering financial difficulties, from $1500 to $5000.
• A homicide support service which will provide four paid homicide support co-ordinators to work with Victim Support.
• A court service for victims of sexual violence which gives victims access to a trained adviser who understands the dynamics of sexual violence cases and the needs of victims.
• A grant of $250 towards the expenses incurred as a result of sexual violence, such as replacing items of clothing collected for forensic evidence.
• Increases in travel, accommodation and child-care assistance for victims attending High Court trials, from $1000 to $3000, and Parole Board hearings, from $500 to $1500.
• Information resources outlining the court process and support services.
