Legislation to expand Extended Supervision Orders for sexual and violent offenders

Proposed amendments to the Parole Act 2002 would enable the extension of Extended Supervision Orders (ESOs) for child sexual offenders beyond their current ten year maximum. It would also expand their use to include high risk sex offenders against adults, and very high risk violent offenders.

The first ESOs applied to child sex offenders are due to expire in 2015 and there is currently no provision for their extension. Corrections Minister Ann Tolley says legislation will be introduced to enable ESOs to be renewed for as long as required, with mandatory review by the courts every five years.

ESOs are used to monitor and manage risk posed by an offender who is back in the community following a prison sentence. Currently, they can include requirements that an offender:

• reports to their probation officer regularly
• attends treatment programmes and counselling
• is subject to residence and employment constraints
• is subject to restrictions about contact with their victims and with people under the age of 16
• is subject to electronic monitoring, GPS and restrictions on where they can live.

Special conditions can also apply such as restrictions on being in certain places and doing certain activities. More information on ESOs is available on the Corrections Department's website.

Other legislation introduced by the Government which focuses on serious offenders includes the Bail Amendment Act 2013 and the Victims' Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill and the Public Safety Bill (currently being considered by Select Committee).

Media

Sex-abuse law faces hurdle, NZ Herald, 23.04.2014

Image: My Trusty Gavel by Brian Turner. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)