Prisoners from the Lakiemata Correctional Institution in West New Britain have petitioned the Government to appoint permanent members to the Parole Board.
This is to ensure the parole board meets on a regular basis as required by the Parole Board Act to screen parole applications by prisoners.
The petition, made on behalf of prisoners around the country, was presented by West New Britain Governor, Sasindran Muthuvel, in Parliament today.
The petition stated that the parole board has not met on a quarterly basis and during the past five years, there were one or two parole releases or none at all.
Due to these situation, prisoners have instituted legal proceedings under the national court’s human rights track and are seeking specific orders for the parole parole board and the correctional services parole officers to compile and consider their applications.
The petition also asks that full time members be appointed to the Parole Board so that maximum responsibility is exercised and ensure outstanding parole issues are executed .
The petition further says that the parole board appoint community based correctional officers and ensure that their primary responsibility of providing sufficient and accurate information of applicants are complied with.
In addition, the parole board must uphold the one-third eligibility dates for parole for all prisoners regardless of the length of their sentences and consider their parole applications as long as they have a supervision plan from the probation officers, correctional service report, complaints report and community report.
Last week Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Ano Pala, presented to Parliament the Parole Board reports of 2012, 2013, and 2014.
According to the reports, a total of 455 detainees were refused parole while 197 parole applications were approved.
Pala also stated that the reports recommended for a review of the Parole Board.
He said the review, among other things, will focus on the membership of the board and the term in office of the current board members.
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