KEY POINTS:
Failures such as the Graeme Burton case drive changes to improve parole systems, a visiting Australian expert says.
Professor James Ogloff, an internationally recognised forensic psychologist, was brought to New Zealand earlier this year by the Parole Board as part of a two man independent review team which reviewed the Burton case. The review found the board's decision to release the convicted murderer on parole was reasonable.
Prof Ogloff, a Canadian who now works in Australia, is back in New Zealand as a guest presenter at a training session for Parole Board members.
He said the fact Burton murdered again was a tragedy, and its consequences needed to be examined and lessons learned from them.
"If we never looked at successes or failures we'd never know if a programme did or didn't work," Prof Ogloff said.
"With tragedies where the worst outcome occurs, it really causes reflection that wouldn't otherwise occur. I think it's a very sad fact not only in criminal justice but in health, it is very often the tragedies which drive the system."
Prof Ogloff said he expected criticism of the Board's decision to parole Burton, and he equally expected criticism of the finding by himself and Chief District Court Judge Russell Johnson that the board's decision was a reasonable one.
While hindsight was 20-20 and people might consider it obvious Burton should never have been freed from prison, decisions were never as clear-cut at the time, Prof Ogloff said.
"When you know the outcome, doing the review you go through the files with a different mind: you're looking at where did they go wrong," he said.
"Whereas when you review a case in the normal course of events, first you typically don't have very much time, and second you don't know the outcome so you're not looking in the same way at the information."
The parole system could be improved by ensuring decision making was more systematic, and that in each and every case all the relevant issues were considered, Prof Ogloff said.
Parole was still the best tool available to reintegrate criminals into society, but it was important that move out of prison was gradual, so as to reduce the risk of reoffending.
