Hundreds of lifers paroled

‘‘The fact that so many so-called ‘lifers’ are now basically free agents makes a mockery of the term and has destroyed public confidence in the justice system.’’ Garth Mcvicar

Nearly half the prisoners serving unlimited sentences of life imprisonment or preventive detention have been released on parole.

Figures released by the Corrections Department under the Official Information Act reveal that 316 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment have been granted parole between June 2002 and March this year.

A further 60 sentenced to preventive detention have been granted parole over the same period. Three prisoners sentenced to both life and preventive detention were granted parole over the period.

Those 379 paroled offenders account for nearly half the 830 prisoners presently serving sentences of life or preventive detention (299 on preventive detention, 531 life imprisonment, 19 both).

Sensible Sentencing Trust founder Garth Mcvicar said the figures showed ‘‘the public has been deceived’’.

‘‘The fact that so many so-called ‘lifers’ are now basically free agents makes a mockery of the term and has destroyed public confidence in the justice system.’’

Granting parole to those serving life sentences diminished deterrence, he said.

But Rethinking Crime and Punishment founder Kim Workman said the Parole Board was guided by solid research that showed the benefits of granting parole.

‘‘Managed release on parole with a right of recall is three to four times more successful in preventing reoffending than automatic release at end of sentence.

‘‘In other words, holding people to the end of their sentence, and then releasing them without any form of oversight, supervision or support means they are more likely to victimise,’’ Workman said.

Life imprisonment and preventive detention are both life-long sentences with no fixed expiry date, meaning those released from prison can be recalled at any time. Anyone sentenced to life must serve at least 10 years before becoming eligible for parole. Those sentenced to preventive detention become eligible for parole after serving at least five years.

Life sentences can be handed down to anyone convicted of murder, manslaughter or class A drug offending, while preventive detention can be handed down for any serious sexual or violent offending.

Corrections could not say how many of those paroled prisoners had breached their parole conditions, how many had been recalled, or how many had committed further crimes while on parole.

A Parole Board spokesman said offenders were serving longer periods since the passing of the Parole Act 2002 and subsequent amendments, and the average proportion of the imposed sentence served had increased between 2001 and 2014 by 36 per cent.

Offenders were granted parole only when it was considered they did not present an undue risk to the community.