The Hodgman Liberal Government has released the draft Corrections Amendment (Treatment of Sex Offenders) Bill 2015 for public consultation.
This legislation is the first tranche of implementing our policy commitment on mandatory treatment for sex offenders in prison.
The Tasmania Prison Service already offers treatment programs for sex offenders.
We believe that if an offender refuses to participate in the programs that are offered, they should not be eligible for early release on Parole or to have their sentence remitted .
These amendments will ensure that participation in appropriate treatment must be taken into account by the Parole Board and remove eligibility for remission for offenders who refuse to participate in treatment.
The Bill amends the Corrections Act 1997 by requiring the Parole Board, in assessing an application for parole from a person who has been sentenced to imprisonment for a sex offence, to consider whether the prisoner has participated in appropriate treatment which addresses the underlying causes of offending behaviour.
The Bill also amends the Corrections Regulations 2008 by specifying that the Director of Prisons is not to grant remission of a sentence to a person in prison for sex offences if the prisoner has chosen not to participate in treatment, or if the prisoner’s participation is unsatisfactory.
Advice has also been sought from the Sentencing Advisory Council on the issue of mandatory sex offender treatment.
Comments are invited in response to the draft bill and will be accepted until Friday 18 September 2015.
The draft Bill, along with information on how to make a submission, is available on the Department of Justice website www.justice.tas.gov.au.