REVEALED: Vile paedophiles are being released from jail to go shopping and dine in restaurants – despite being denied parole
- Jailed paedophiles out on reintegration leave have not been granted parole
- Long-weekend prison jaunts to breakfast in Salamanca, dinner at restaurants
- Their victims get a schedule of when and where their abusers will be
- Victims hide from popular public places for days so they don’t see their abusers
Victims of paedophiles are avoiding popular places for fear of seeing their abusers who are out on prison leave in Tasmania – shopping and eating at restaurants despite being denied parole.
One child sex abuse survivor complained to Tasmania’s Attorney-General Elise Archer that her abuser was allowed a long weekend out of Risdon prison just weeks after the Parole Board decided he was not suitable for parole.
‘He regularly has breakfast at Salamanca, lunch at North Hobart, and dinner in Sandy Bay restaurants,’ the survivor wrote.
Elizabeth Street Mall, the largest shopping area in the Hobart CBD, is now open to jailed pedophiles to wander about under supervision on their reintegration leave
‘This is extremely uncomfortable for the victims of his sexual abuse, especially those resident in Hobart.’
The bombshell revelations about the Tasmanian Prison Service practice of reintegration leave were revealed by the Weekend Australian on Saturday, which said it had documents confirming the practice.
The policy allows paedophiles jailed in Tasmania to leave prison under supervision for two to three days in order to shop and eat at restaurants.
Their victims are say they are forced to avoid popular shopping centres, cafes and restaurants for long periods of time to avoid bumping in to their abusers.
Tasmania’s Risdon Prison in 2005. Risdon houses the state’s worst criminals including pedophiles, who are now being let out on reintegration leave despite not being granted parole
The Department of Justice sends a timetable to abuse survivors telling them where and when their abuser will be on reintegration leave.
Outraged abuse survivors have complained that the practice is both insulting and unacceptable.
Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said if someone was denied parole they have been assessed as posing a risk, so they should not be let out.
‘Survivors don’t want a list of where the offender is – they want to know he’s in jail,’ Ms Johnston told the Weekend Australian.
Survivors say pedophiles not deemed safe enough for parole should be behind bars
Tasmania’s Attorney-General Elise Archer (left) has received complaints about the Tasmania Prison Service practice of reintegration leave. Braveheart’s Hetty Johnstone (right), an advocate for child sex abuse survivors, says the practice is ‘insulting’ to survivors.
‘The system bends over backwards to benefit the rights of child sex offenders, convicted criminals, and holds their civil rights in higher regard than it does the rights of their victims and the right of the community to be protected.’
There has been an internal review of the reintegration leave policy but the Tasmanian Prison Service has not released the outcome of the review.
Ms Archer defended the practice saying the program included safeguards such as suitability and risk assessments, strict conditions and custodian supervision.
She said some prisoners may have been rejected for parole because they had not yet been granted reintegration leave.
‘Successful completion of reintegration leave can be a very important aspect of the parole process,’ she told the Weekend Australian.
‘I appreciate the need for reintegration of prisoners, however the program is not intended to allow criminals to parade themselves in Hobart restaurants. It seems that Risdon’s reintegration leave program is being abused here.’