Parole crackdown exposes rehabilitation problems

The Chairman of the Adult Parole Board, Bill Gillard QC, says that it is now harder to be granted parole in Victoria, and one substantial cause is the lack of prisoners’ access to rehabilitation programs: “It is Corrections that must make sure that the person is ready for parole. Corrections Victoria has the obligation to put the prisoner in the right position to apply for parole.” This appears to be a vicious cycle, as the lack of access to parole increases prison populations, which, according to Smart Justice, puts further strain on prison services: “There’s a current overcrowding crisis in Victorian jails and the impact of that is it’s denying a chance of proper rehabilitation before prisoners are released from jail.” Corrections Victoria says it has significantly increased funding for rehabilitation programs in the last two years.