Offenders serving more than one year in prison (i.e. those sentenced to over two years) are eligible for all activities (subject to other relevant criteria).
The amount of time to be served is less likely to limit their opportunity to access even the longest interventions, and opportunities are more likely to be restricted by the offender's security classification and/or their attitude to the potential activities.
Offenders may be released from a long prison sentence on parole (with or without residential restrictions), on release conditions only if released at their final release date or on an extended supervision order.
Except for those offenders who have already made an application for HD prior to 1 October 2007, the provision for early release onto back end HD is no longer available.
The NZPB decides whether any individual offender is to be released on parole, and the length and nature of any release conditions. The NZPB also determines the nature of special conditions to apply to extended supervision orders, although the decisions to impose an extended supervision order and the length of any order are made by the court.
There are three main types of parole, which are:
Note: Offenders released on life parole are managed in the same way as other parolees (with or without residential restrictions) for at least the first year after their release.
Offenders (other than those released on life parole) spend an average of 15 months on parole. It is estimated that those released with full residential restrictions will be subject to those restrictions for approximately 6 months, and will remain on parole for a further 9 months.
The orders have been designed in the same way as the equivalent sentences, with the key differences being in the way enforcement action and variations are handled (as they have to be referred to the NZPB, not the court).
Offenders released on parole with full residential restrictions are managed in a similar way to those on a HD sentence.
Offenders on parole following a period of residential restrictions are managed in a similar way to those on post detention conditions.
Offenders on parole are managed in a similar way to those on an intensive supervision sentence.
Offenders released on life parole, and who have successfully completed the initial phases required of all parolees, may progress to a less frequent reporting regime. The minimum reporting requirements are monthly, alternating between the offender reporting to the office and a probation officer visiting them at home.