New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Jordan Mitchell YOUNG

Hearing: 29 November 2017

At [withheld]

Members of the Board: Hon M A Frater – Panel Convenor

Mr B McMurray

Dr G Coyle

Counsel: [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Jordan Mitchell Young is serving a total sentence of four years and one month imprisonment: two years and seven months on three charges of burglary with one month, concurrent, for receiving and a further 18 months imposed on appeal (reduced from three years) for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
2. Mr Young was originally sentenced on 23 November 2016.  His adjusted parole eligibility date was 7 August last and his statutory release date is 26 April 2020.
3. This is his third appearance before the Board.
4. Mr Young has been involved in the criminal justice system since he was 16. He is now 37. His first appearances were in the Youth Court in 1998 in relation to offending in the previous year.
5. He has an eight-page criminal history. It is predominantly for offences of dishonesty, but he also has convictions for serious drug-related offending, driving offences, breaches, two previous convictions for attempting to pervert the course of justice and convictions for manslaughter and for injuring in circumstances where if death had occurred, it would have been manslaughter.
6. When he appeared before the Board in September this year Mr Young was in the process of completing the three month Dependency Treatment Programme (DTP). He was also engaging with a [withheld] counsellor and hoping to obtain financial support from [withheld] to attend [withheld].
7. He completed the DTP on 27 October with a good report.  [withheld], the experienced PCO who was present today, commented on the significant change he had noted in Mr Young since he came back from that programme.  Whereas previously he was regularly filing complaints about Corrections decisions and Corrections staff, he has now stopped doing so.
8. Through his counsel, [withheld], Mr Young sought release on parole.
9. We were told that his application for [withheld] funding to attend the [withheld] has been declined.  Instead, Mr Young is now seeking support to attend a nine-week residential [withheld] programme in [withheld].  That programme begins on either 16 or 23 January 2018.  Mr Young expects that while he is in the programme, supported [withheld] accommodation will be arranged in the [withheld] area, where he has family and wants to settle.  [withheld] have recently moved there.
10. Mr Young’s current security classification is low/medium. We were told that in the forthcoming review that it is likely to be reduced to low.
11. His RoC*Rol score is 0.17509.
12. We query whether that is a true reflection of his risk.
13. We are concerned about his extensive and versatile history of offending and the part that drugs have played in it.  We are also concerned about his manipulative behaviour, as evidenced in his repeat convictions for attempting to pervert the course of justice.  We therefore require a psychological assessment to determine whether the RoC*Rol score accurately reflects his true risk and, if not, what it is.  We would also be assisted by guidance on his risk factors and whether the treatment he has undertaken in custody so far is sufficient to address that risk.  If not, we need recommendations as to further treatment, whether in custody or the community.  We also require an assessment of the strength of his release plan.
14. Parole is declined.  Mr Young’s next hearing will be in April 2018 when the report should be to hand.