Matters considered at Board Meetings Parole is a complex legal process; as such the Board may hear a number of different types of matters at each meeting. Some of the matter types considered by the Board are: applications for parole; Reports about breaches of parole (revocation reports or advice); Notifications that a parolee has completed their parole order; Reports providing updates on current parolees and their progress; Matters about prisoners declining parole; Applications for variations of parole conditions; Applications by parolees to travel interstate; and Applications by parolees to transfer interstate. Attendance of Prisoners at Board Hearings It is the practice of the Board to decide parole matters on the papers without the prisoner being present. The is of the view that the materials received or obtained by the Board provide a fair and comprehensive basis to decide whether a prisoner should or should not be granted parole. The Chairperson may require a prisoner to be brought before the Board pursuant to Section 3G of the Parole of Prisoners Act. In 2013, one prisoner appeared before the Board. Either the prisoner or their legal representative may write to the Secretary of the Board requesting that the prisoner be required to attend their parole hearing. Applications are determined by the Chairperson after consultation with members of the Board.
8 MONTHS PRIOR TO NPP* Probation and Parole Officer commences preparation of the Parole Report PAROLE REPORT Offender background Rehabilitation courses Victim and community interests Post release plans for accommodation, education/employment and support network VICTIMS & OTHER CONCERNED PERSONS 2 MONTHS PRIOR TO NPP LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE PRISONER PAROLE BOARD MEETING Consider application and consider the following to decide what to do Victim and community safety Level of rehabilitation Post release Prisoner may reapply at any time PAROLE GRANTED Prisoner released under NTCC supervision APPLICATION DEFERRED Non compliance reported to Parole Board DENIED PAROLE REVOKED PAROLE COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY Warning Letter to Parolee
PERIOD ON PAROLE PRIOR TO BREACH – CONDITIONAL AND REOFFENDING 2013 40 6 35 30 25 7 20 33 15 10 1 14 Reoffending Conditional 5 7 4 0 <3 months 3-6 months 6-12 months 1-2 years 2-5 years TIME OUTCOMES OF PRISONERS RELEASED TO PAROLE DURING 2013 15 Parole Still Active 8 Parole Revoked Parole Order Completed Not Yet Released 64 44
Training Workshop Training workshops are an essential element of the professional development of Parole Board members. Workshops provide an opportunity to: information about current developments in the Department that impact on prisoners; deliver training and share information on contemporary practices and research in relation to offender management and the work of the Parole Board; and receive feedback from members on the current operations of the Parole Board and any matters that may be of concern for them. A full day workshop was held on 21 September 2013 and all members were in attendance. Topics included on the day’s agenda were: Serious Sex Offender legislation; Prisoner Programs; Structured Decision Making and feedback from the APAI conference; Review of the Victorian Parole Board; Draft Parole Board Manual; Training in use of eScribe for electronic file delivery; and Consistency of decisions.