5.15pm
The Government has told the Parole Board to be more open with the victims of criminals, just a few days after it was revealed a killer was allowed into the same neighbourhood as her victim's family.
Justice Minister Phil Goff told a Parole Board conference today that six-month-old laws which set up the new board, also gave victims more rights to make submissions and to be advised about the board's decisions.
The board, in comparison to the old structure, should be "more open in providing information", Mr Goff said.
Last month, the family of Phillip Hunt was angry it had not been told the woman convicted of killing him was on parole and staying next door to his sister and just down the road from his mother.
Mr Hunt was one of two men killed in a Kawerau house fire deliberately lit by Renee Rooney and Jeremy Tahi in August 1999. The pair were charged with murder but convicted of manslaughter in April 2000.
The Hunt family wants a change to parole law to stop violent offenders being released on parole into areas near victims' families.
Mr Goff did not refer to the case in his speech but said six months after the new Parole Act came into force was a good time to consider progress and look at any difficulties that had cropped up.
The new law was intended to protect people from violent offenders, he said.
"The board may only give a direction that an offender be released on parole if it is satisfied that the offender will not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community," Mr Goff said.
The board was also told that more victims had more rights under the new law compared to the old one.
If aspects of the new law weren't working in practice then Mr Goff said he would welcome the board's suggestions for improvements.
- NZPA
Goff tells Parole Board to be more open
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