The Prisoners Legal Service Inc congratulates the Government on its immediate response to the Review of the Queensland Parole system recently undertaken by Sofronoff QC. It is indeed pleasing to read the commitment of Government to making available resources and further funding to ensure the recommendations contained in the report are, in the main, implemented.
Peter Lyons, Director of the Prisoners Legal Service noted: –
“As an organisation involved in prisoner’s rights in Queensland for over 25 years, the Prisoners’ Legal Service Inc has detailed experiences with the operation and decision making processes undertaken by the Queensland Parole Boards. Indeed, in recent years the Service has sought to agitate for a review of the operation of the Parole Boards to ensure best practice is implemented in the parole system, to correct what is believed to be a deficient decision making process. In particular, it was considered that limitations on resources, accountability and prisoners’ involvement in the process, impacted upon the fairness and accuracy of decisions made by the Parole Boards about the risk an individual may pose to the community.
The Service strongly believed that any review of the current parole process must include significant input by those persons who are greatly impacted by the operation of the Parole Boards. Namely, those persons who are placed on parole, persons who are returned to prison for breaches of their parole and prisoners who, in general, are not currently offered access to timely rehabilitation programs, services and interventions including for mental health, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse. The Review undertaken by Sofronoff QC has validated many of the issues raised by the Prisoners Legal Service in the past”
Queensland Parole System Review Final Report
Government Response to QPSR Recommendations
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