Extended Supervision Order Allocation - Corrections Department NZ

Introduction

This topic covers the policies and procedures for allocation of extended supervision orders.

OWS

An offender on extended supervision who does not otherwise meet the criteria for inclusion on the OWS should be placed on the offender warning register (OWR) by automatic override.

The provisions of the OWS will form the baseline standards for managing extended supervision orders. The OWS guidelines apply to all aspects of the management of extended supervision orders except as specified in extended supervision-specific sections of this manual.

The aspects of extended supervision order management that vary from the OWS guidelines are:

having more frequent reporting and home visits
the process for varying reporting and home visit frequency (formal review)
the offender cannot be removed from the OWS
the service manager checks are more frequent, based on reporting frequency, and
there is more active involvement of, and consultation with, the service manager.

Notification of specified individuals

Offenders who are on ES orders or are being considered for an ES order meet the criteria for consideration for notification.

A decision will need to be made by the area manager as to whether notification should take place.

Reference: Volume 4, Part I, Chapter 14 Notifying Specified Individuals about Child Sex Offenders.

Allocation

Where possible, the same probation officer should:

liaise with the extended supervision coordinator at head office about the application for the extended supervision order (and any interim special conditions)
write the extended supervision special conditions report, and
manage the offender on extended supervision.

If an offender is likely to be released to parole before extended supervision commences, it is essential that the writers of the parole assessment report and the extended supervision special conditions report consult with each other, so that the two reports are aligned.

Where possible, extended supervision orders should be allocated to probation officers who have received extended supervision training. If this is not possible, the service manager should ensure that this training occurs as soon as possible, and that the allocated probation officer receives additional support in the meantime.

Timing of allocation

The following table outlines the policy for allocating an extended supervision order, depending on the start date.

If the extended supervision order start date is…	then the offender is to be allocated…
less than 4 months away	immediately (within one working day of notification from the extended supervision coordinator).
more than 4 months away	within two weeks.

Rationale

Once an extended supervision order has been granted, a special conditions application should be made to NZPB. Until the NZPB hearing, the offender is subject only to:

the standard conditions of extended supervision, and
any interim special conditions imposed by the court.

The processing of a special conditions application (including the preparation of the report) takes approximately four months. This process cannot start until the extended supervision order has been allocated to a probation officer to write the report.

Steps to take

The table below outlines the steps to take for extended supervision order allocation.

Stage

Description

The extended supervision coordinator at the CPPS head office is notified of the extended supervision order.

The extended supervision coordinator enters the details of the order into IOMS and allocates the order to a service centre.

If the offender is…	then the order is allocated to…
in the community	the service centre where the offender is currently managed.
in prison	the service centre nearest the proposed release address.

The extended supervision coordinator sends an email:

notifying the relevant service manager, and
stating whether the order needs to be allocated immediately.

The service manager:

allocates the extended supervision order to a probation officer, and
notifies the extended supervision coordinator of the allocation.

Allocation transfers

In certain circumstances the extended supervision order may need to be promptly re-allocated to a different service centre. Use the table below to determine the appropriate action:

Note: The service manager should immediately bring any problems with allocation transfers to the area manager's attention.

If…	then…
the offender is still in prison, and the proposed address is unsuitable	consider further accommodation options in that location.
there is no suitable accommodation in that location	the service manager must arrange transferring the allocation to an alternative location.
the offender does not propose an alternative location	the service manager should contact: the service centre where the offender was previously managed (if applicable), or the service centre nearest the offender's address prior to imprisonment.

Documentation

The court should provide a copy of the order to the prison or local service centre, as applicable.

The extended supervision order can be allocated without a hard copy of the order. Details of the extended supervision order will be entered in IOMS once the order is granted, regardless of whether the hard copy has been issued.