C.03.01.R2 Restrictions on Transfers (National Requirement)

Restrictions on Transfer

1. Any decision to transfer a prisoner must take into account:
   1. that prisoner’s At-risk status if such a status has been identified;
   2. that prisoner’s need for medical or psychiatric care (including, where relevant, approved opioid substitution therapy).
2. A prisoner who is identified as being At-risk may only be transferred if the transfer:
   1. will assist in reducing the risk to that prisoner; or
   2. should have no effect on the level of risk to that prisoner.
3. A prisoner who is identified as needing medical or psychiatric care may only be transferred if the transfer should not detrimentally affect such care.

Exception for transfer within 4 months of scheduled Parole Board Date

In circumstance which required a prisoner to be transferred to another region with 4 months of the Board hearing, such as for Heath appointments and Court appearances for example, the sending Regional Movement Co-ordinator (RMC) will need to notify the Board Liaison Officer (BLO) and the Sentence Planning PCO of the reason for the transfer and if possible, the length of time that the prisoner will remain in the region.

The BLO of the receiving prison will check the availability of the scheduled board hearing to confirm whether the New Zealand Parole Board can accommodate this request if the prisoner is to remain in the region. The respective Sentence Planning PCO's will need to make a decision on which team will write the report considering the length of time remaining before the hearing date and staffing resources.

The BLO in the region where the board hearing will be taking place will notify the New Zealand Parole Board to ensure that the prisoner can be scheduled to that hearing. It is expected that this process should take no longer than 2 working days.

The BLO in the region where the board hearing will be taking place will liaise with the New Zealand Parole Board as soon as practical to ascertain if a new hearing can be scheduled if the prisoner is to be transferred.