More on Burton Parole

The Burton parole whitewash reports are so appalling that not even Helen is standing by them.

John Key is spot on when he says it is “absurd” to claim Burton’s parole was well managed.

Also Barry Matthews claims “Nobody could have predicted that Burton would go on some crazy mission in the Lower Hutt hills and kill people.”

On the contrary everything I have heard about Burton’s behaviour in prison makes his violent offending totally predictable. Sure the Parole Board can not get it right 100% of the time, but everything about Burton screamed do not release him.

John Armstrong comments:

The Department of Corrections has fooled no one with its absurd claim that it “appropriately managed” Graeme Burton while the killer was on parole.

The NZ Herald editorial also chimes in:

Was it reasonable to release a man whose re-offending risk was still assessed as high? Was it reasonable to exclude prison intelligence that he assaulted three fellow inmates during February and March last year, resulting in his transfer to another unit? Those incidents could not be “proven” because prison is not amenable to inmates who tell tales.

The Editorial also highlights that he Parole Board is required by law “that prisoners eligible for parole must be detained no longer than is consistent with the community’s safety”. This means that prisoners must be released at the first opportunity unless the Board is convinced they are not an undue risk to the community. This has to be turned about with the requirement to be “that prisoners serve their full sentence unless the Parole Board is convinced they are unlikely to reoffend”.

The Dom Post Editorial also has a say:

“Reasonable” is not the word most people would use about this debacle. To ordinary Kiwis, dismissive of technical exonerations for having followed procedure and the precious manual, common sense went out the window when the decision was made to let a convicted killer suspected of in-prison violence go free on certain conditions. His chances of keeping out of trouble were virtually zero.

Will the Probation Service learn anything? It seems unlikely. Mr Matthews believes his staff have been absolved of blame.

This newspaper has asked it before about politicians and public servants; it will do so again. What does it take to get a minister or a mandarin to fall on their swords?