❓ Mr. Castrilli questions the Minister for Corrective Services about sex offenders being released without completing rehabilitation programs. The Minister acknowledges the issue and outlines steps being taken to address it, including consulting with an expert and directing changes to program delivery.
AnsweredQoN 52Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SEX OFFENDERS
Before I ask my question, I sincerely acknowledge and welcome the students of South Bunbury Primary School, who are about to walk out of the chamber! They have probably heard enough drivel! (1) Can the minister please explain why almost 30 per cent of sex offenders released from Bunbury Regional Prison over the past two years were freed into the community without having to complete a sex offender rehabilitation program? (2) Approximately how many sex offenders have been released from all Western Australian prisons over the past two years without having completed a sex offender rehabilitation program? Ms M.M. QUIRK
Before I ask my question, I sincerely acknowledge and welcome the students of South Bunbury Primary School, who are about to walk out of the chamber! They have probably heard enough drivel! (1) Can the minister please explain why almost 30 per cent of sex offenders released from Bunbury Regional Prison over the past two years were freed into the community without having to complete a sex offender rehabilitation program? (2) Approximately how many sex offenders have been released from all Western Australian prisons over the past two years without having completed a sex offender rehabilitation program? Ms M.M. QUIRK
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
(1) Can the minister please explain why almost 30 per cent of sex offenders released from Bunbury Regional Prison over the past two years were freed into the community without having to complete a sex offender rehabilitation program? (2) Approximately how many sex offenders have been released from all Western Australian prisons over the past two years without having completed a sex offender rehabilitation program? Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
(2) Approximately how many sex offenders have been released from all Western Australian prisons over the past two years without having completed a sex offender rehabilitation program? Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
(1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
(1) Can the minister please explain why almost 30 per cent of sex offenders released from Bunbury Regional Prison over the past two years were freed into the community without having to complete a sex offender rehabilitation program? (2) Approximately how many sex offenders have been released from all Western Australian prisons over the past two years without having completed a sex offender rehabilitation program? Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
(2) Approximately how many sex offenders have been released from all Western Australian prisons over the past two years without having completed a sex offender rehabilitation program? Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
I thank the member for Bunbury for his question and for his interest in this matter. I understand he in fact already has the answers to many of those questions because he asked a series of questions on notice. (1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
(1)-(2) The member might recall that some months ago I made some statements in the media concerning sex offenders and the nature of the programs they receive while in prison. One of the faults I identified in the current system was that the kind of programs that were delivered for prisoners were guided by senior clinical psychologists within the department, and there is a general clinical view that those who deny their offending behaviour are not amenable to the benefit of having programs delivered. I take the view that that is unacceptable and that the community expects people who have been convicted of serious sexual offences to have programs delivered to them, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour. As a consequence of that I spoke to a leading world expert in the forensic field, Dr Bill Marshall, a Western Australian expatriate who now resides in Canada. I had a detailed discussion with him while I was in Canada, and he takes the view that people who deny their offending behaviour can in fact have programs delivered to them. We are currently working on that. Dr Marshall will be coming out in a couple of months, and I have directed the Department of Corrective Services that all those convicted of serious sexual offences are to be given programs in prison, irrespective of whether they deny their offending behaviour.
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