New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing
Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Joshua James MASTERS

Hearing: 15 August 2016 By AVL from NZPB Offices, Wellington to [Withheld]

Members of the Board:
Hon. J W Gendall QC
Mr A Shaw
Ms G Hughes

Support Persons:
[Withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Joshua Masters is serving an effective sentence of 10 years five months’ imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of five years nine months imposed on 3 August 2012 for supplying methamphetamine (x2), conspiring to deal in methamphetamine.

2. His parole eligibility date was 3 February 2014 and his sentence end date 5 October 2018.  He was last seen by the Board on 20 July 2016 when the hearing was adjourned because he claimed that he had not been accurately told of the time and date of the hearing. It transpires that claim is untrue and we have recent Intel reports confirming that he told a supporter, sometime before the hearing, that he knew of the date.

3. Prior to that he was seen by the Board on 20 August 2015 when there were further Intel reports which regarding his actions and behaviour. He said that the reports were “false”.  At that time the Board made it clear to him that he needed to undertake rehabilitation programmes, including the STURP if required and psychological intervention.

4. He has not yet undertaken the STURP programme because of his security classification.  He complained to the Board today that he has not been given the necessary rehabilitation courses and thus believed that he will, “Never get placed on group therapy.”  That of course depends upon his security classification and behaviour. On material before the Board that there is an active alert for Mr Masters as the president of the Killer Beez gang; he has a level of entitlement, is said to be, “Ambivalent” about group intervention.  His behaviour, according to the parole assessment report can be confrontational and at times intimidatory. He is described as a high-risk offender who needs a high intensity programme.  Encouragingly, he has been admitted to one-to-one psychological therapy for which he has had six sessions.

5. The parole assessment report recommends that following completion of the one-to-one psychological intervention the psychologist the most appropriate pathway forward will be ascertained. It could either be participation in a rehabilitation programme such as STURP or High-Risk, Personality Programme or further one to one psychological intervention.  Those are decisions for the future.  Mr Masters accepts that he needs treatment but intimates that this should only be in the form of psychological intervention.  This may be a somewhat narrow perception. There is Intel report of regular communication with gang members and it is alleged he issues instructions to those he calls to act on his behalf.

6. Mr Masters is an undue risk to the safety of the community and does not meet the criteria for release on parole.  There is much for him to do before he would reach that status.  It is unrealistic for him to expect to be seen again in six months time.  Parole is declined and he will be seen in the month of August 2017, that is before 31 August 2017.

Hon. J W Gendall QC
Panel Convenor