KEY POINTS:
The Parole Board is throwing its weight behind moves to allow it to summon witnesses when considering the parole of prisoners who have had serious but unsubstantiated allegations made against them.
That power - which is being considered by Parliament - is one of the issues at the heart of the outcry over the release of murderer Graeme Burton, who killed Wainuiomata man Karl Kuchenbecker in January.
The board granted Burton parole last year despite a psychologist's assessment that included several claims of assaults on other prisoners, for which Burton was a suspect.
Victims of Burton's crimes have expressed anger and confusion that his parole was not held off until the allegations - which were never substantiated - were investigated further.
The board did not consider them when assessing Burton's risk to the community.
Changes being considered would have given the board the power to call relevant witnesses and decide what weight, if any, to give them.
The changes - backed by the Ministry of Justice and the Law Commission - are before the justice and electoral select committee.
"I wholeheartedly support these recommendations, and the board welcomes their consideration before Parliament," said board chairman Judge David Carruthers yesterday after a meeting over the Burton case with Corrections chief executive Barry Matthews.
Both agencies have been under tremendous pressure despite reports finding that Burton's probation had been handled appropriately, and the decision to release him was reasonable.
The reports also made a number of recommendations and highlighted the issue of dealing with unsubstantiated allegations.
The agencies said the meeting was positive and they had agreed to implement the recommendations, including improving the communication between them.
The issue of communication was raised in the board's inquiry, which asked "whether the board's [release] expectations were reasonably capable of being resourced by those responsible for supervision".
In cases such as Burton's "it seems desirable that there be a mechanism or confirmation that Corrections can adequately service the Parole Board's set conditions before release is effected".
Judge David Carruthers also threw his support behind a proposal to enable the board to monitor a parolee's compliance with release conditions, request a progress report from Corrections and, if required, call the parolee to another hearing.
He said it was imperative to learn the lessons of the tragedy.
"The most important focus for the board now is the New Zealanders who have been deeply affected by this tragic set of circumstances - we wish to ensure that we all learn from this experience."
