New Zealand Law Society - Prison parole hearings to resume from next month

Prison parole hearings to resume from next month

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The Parole Board will return to attending hearings in prisons, effective from the week commencing 6 July.

In an advisory to counsel, the Parole Board chairperson Sir Ron Young says with the transition to Alert Level 1, the Board will take another significant step towards resuming normal operations.

The advisory says work will continue with Corrections to ensure a smooth transition to attending hearings in prison, which may include additional or different entry protocols in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the meantime, AVL hearings will continue to take place as they have since 4 May. Panels have been sitting at Community Corrections sites around New Zealand and at the Parole Board head office in Wellington.

Counsel are able to join AVL hearings from a Community Corrections site or connect remotely using a compatible device via Jabber. Counsel have been able to attend Parole Board hearings in prison, on request, since the start of Level 2.

“Counsel should continue to provide written submissions in advance of NZPB hearings, as that approach has proved very useful during this time. “We look forward to progressing hearings under Alert Level 1 and soon resuming our normal hearing processes,” says Sir Ron.

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