M is a young Maori woman aged 22years. She assaults her mother.

"I decided to give her a cold bath - pulled her towards the bathroom, but she got away and ran next door. Next thing the police came - took me to Lower Hutt station".

Normally she would be dealt with by legal institutions. She would suffer all their class, sex and possibly race biases, but at least she'd benefit from the law's procedural safeguards. There would be an arrest, charge, and court appearance next morning, where she would be remanded and maybe obtain a duty solicitor.

At the hearing proper M could plead not guilty, thus require the police to call the mother as witness and prove the charge in open court. More likely she would plead guilty be asked if she had anything to say, then convicted and remanded for sentence pending a probation report. Eventually she would be fined and sentenced to some custodial treatment (e.g. a period of probation).

The law would have taken away her money and her freedom, but only after affording her certain procedural rights.