The family of a man who was killed in an unprovoked, one-punch attack in 2016 have been left horrified after discovering their son's killer has been convicted again for the same type of assault on a second victim.
The offender, Tyrone Palmer, was just 16 when he was sentenced to two years in prison for killing Matthew Coley six years ago.
"He had everything going for him but that day ended it all," said Laraine Coley, the victim's mother.
Coley was 40 when Palmer swung the 'cowards punch' that would end his life.
Coley's family hoped a two-year prison sentence would get Tyrone the help he needed.
But last week they made a shocking discovery.
"I put 'Tyrone Palmer' into my Google and it came up, 'convicted killer does it again'. I just couldn't believe it."
Coley's father, Mike, was devastated.
"It's just like deja vu isn't it?
"It just knocks you over a bit, you know, it takes you back. That's how I was feeling."
Palmer was sentenced earlier this year for attacking a second victim in the same way as Coley. It was an unprovoked, single punch to the head.
The victim suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed but survived.
The Coleys now wonder whether Corrections could have done more.
"He's got to be rehabilitated. We thought, if he's sent him to prison, then he might be. But obviously it hasn't sunk in," said Mike.
"It just melted away in the last seven years and he's struck out again."
Laraine said the prison system did not seem to be working.
"The prison life isn't an answer obviously."
But Corrections Deputy Chief Executive Māori, Topia Rameka, stood by the system, saying the support was there.
"We have some of the most leading rehabilitation, offence-related programmes, and exemplars by world standards," he said.
"When people arrive into the corrections system and those that are sentenced they are provided many opportunities to address their offending."
Corrections Minister, Kelvin Davis, said 13 out of 14 rehabilitation programmes were showing positive results.
"He was in prison for a very short time and its difficult to expect that rehabilitation is 100% successful for 100% of prisoners," he said.
But Tyrone Palmer is not an outlier.
While overall numbers have slightly dropped since 2020, more than half of those who leave prison are sentenced again within two years.
For Māori like Palmer, the rate of re-offending is more than 60%. For those under the age of 20, it's 75%.
People Against Prisons Aotearoa Spokesperson, Emilie Rakete, said people should not be surprised offenders continue to commit crime after their release.
"What [the statistics] show is the total failure of prisons as a strategy to actually help people or help society," she said.
"People need real, meaningful, material support. That means things like state housing, which is rented to them at least at market rates, access to a secure job, the ministry should provide those jobs, the state should step up."
Topia Rameka said rehabilitating offenders shouldn't be the sole responsibility of Corrections.
"Addressing re-offending is something Corrections cant do alone. its something we have to have the assistance of wider networks and the community at large."
Laraine accepts its a complex problem, but she can't accept prisons are doing enough.
"We have more and more in the community that need help."
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