NSW parole board cites ‘privacy’ of criminals as reason to keep applications and judgments secret
The NSW parole board is putting the privacy of some of the state’s most heinous criminals, including killers and rapists, before the safety of the public which has no way of finding out details who has applied for parole and judgments are not posted online.
The NSW parole board is putting the privacy of some of the state’s most heinous criminals including killers and rapists before the safety of the public.
State Parole Authority chairman, the former Supreme Court Justice James Wood, has cited the “privacy” of offenders as a reason for not revealing who is being released back onto the streets.
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Once the parole authority forms an intention to release a serious offender on parole, a public hearing must be held but there is no way to find out details of the hearings and who has applied for parole.
Once decisions are made, the judgments are not posted on the internet.
Justice Wood also said there were issues of privacy for victims, who on Tuesday hit back saying they want details of dangerous criminals being released to be made public.
Victims’ advocate Howard Brown said parole applications and decisions should be made public.
“The important thing here is that any consideration by the parole authority towards release must be done in the community interest,” he said.
“How can you tell it is in the public interest if the public doesn’t know?”
Since Justice Wood took over the top job in 2013, not one decision had been published on the authority’s website until The Daily Telegraph began its campaign in January to end the state of secrecy pervading the justice system.
The campaign led to Attorney-General Mark Speakman asking the state’s Law Reform Commission to look at open justice, including whether the State Parole Authority should release the names of every serious offender applying for parole.
Following the campaign, Justice Wood published the authority’s reasons for releasing triple murderer and cop killer Berwyn Rees after almost 40 years behind bars.
The decision to release him was slammed by the police union and the government announced it was looking at legal options to keep him locked up.
Erin Bradley, who was 12 when her sister Leigh, 17, was murdered by Bradley Paul Eddy in 1991 said the parole system should be as open as the court system.
“The safety of the general community is more important than an offender’s privacy. They should not have the right to privacy,” Ms Bradley said.
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Justice Wood’s comments come as a serial rapist behind bars for attacking seven women is applying for parole.
The man, now 46, was in the street gang who abducted, raped and murdered Janine Balding in 1988 but because he was 15 at the time, he cannot legally be named in relation to her attack.
He was paroled after serving seven years but locked up again for raping another three women.
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