Media Release
Embargo Friday 23 March 2012
A report released today by the Sentencing Advisory Council recommends several changes be made to how the Adult Parole Board makes decisions about parole in Victoria. The primary recommendation of the review is that community safety should be the paramount consideration in all decisions relating to the granting of parole.
The Review of the Victorian Adult Parole System Report is the result of a request by the Attorney General, the Hon Robert Clark MP, to review and report on aspects of the adult parole system.
Professor Arie Freiberg, Chair of the Sentencing Advisory Council said, 'No parole system can eliminate the risk of reoffending. What parole can do is reduce the risk that prisoners will commit further offences when released, by providing a supervised transition into the community and by seeking to address some of the factors that may lead to reoffending.
'This review has identified a number of strengths in the Victorian adult parole system that are aimed at achieving this outcome. In particular, the Council supports the proactive approach taken by the Board in preparing prisoners for parole and the multidisciplinary and non-legalistic character of its decision-making processes.
'However, the Council also identified substantial scope to improve the written guidance for members of the Board. The Council’s report recommends that the Board’s guidelines state a general principle that makes community safety the paramount consideration when the Board is deciding whether to grant or cancel parole. The report also makes recommendations about how that paramount consideration can operate in practice.
'In this regard, I am pleased to be able to say that the Adult Parole Board has already indicated their willingness to adopt the new principle pertaining to community safety', said Professor Freiberg.
Other recommendations of the review include:
- improvements to the decision-making guidelines used by the Board and Corrections Victoria
- implementation of safeguards to ensure that decisions of the Board are based on adequate and accurate information
- the establishment of a parole coordinating committee comprising the Adult Parole Board, Corrections Victoria and Victoria Police
The Review of the Victorian Adult Parole System Report is available for download from the Sentencing Advisory Council website.
