New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Jarred James HUTCHISON

Hearing: 1 May 2018

at Auckland Prison

Members of the Board:

• Hon M A Frater (Panel Convenor)
• Dr J Skipworth
• Ms S Pakura
• Mr P Elenio

Counsel: Ms S Earl

In Attendance: [withheld]

Support Person: [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. 45 year old Jarred James Hutchison is serving a sentence of preventive detention imposed by the Court of Appeal on 8 March 2007, following a successful appeal by the Solicitor‑General.
2. Mr Hutchison’s sentence began on 27 June 2006.  By the end of next month he will have spent 13 years in custody on this sentence.
3. His victim was [withheld].  He offended against her numerous times.  It started when she was aged three and continued until she was eight.  The Court of Appeal described the offending as “awful”.
4. During treatment Mr Hutchison has begun to comprehend the enormity of his actions and the consequences of it, not only for his victim, but for others.  However, it seems to us that he still has some way to go in that regard. He acknowledged that at the time of the offending he was a selfish man.  He enjoyed what he was doing.  It made him feel better.  He did not think about the depth of harm that he was causing.
5. He has since had the opportunity, during the intensive Child Sex Offender Treatment Programme (CSOTP) he completed in November 2015, subsequent maintenance sessions and the sessions with the psychologist who prepared a report for this Board, to talk about the offending – but has been reluctant to do so, because of confidentiality concerns.
6. Prior to the hearing, Mr Hutchison was shown a copy of a letter received from [withheld].  He was taken aback by the extent of the damage caused.  Somewhat naively, he said that he had hoped that because the offending was disclosed so early in the child’s life, it would not have made an impact on her.  He now knows otherwise.  He said that it was the biggest regret of anything he has ever done and he expressed remorse.
7. Mr Hutchison was represented by counsel, Ms Earl, at the hearing today.  At the outset she sought his release on parole.  She emphasised the work he has undertaken through treatment to address the causes of his offending and his successful completion of the Te Piriti programme.  She also spoke about the work he is doing in the Te Piriti garden, where he holds the position of leading hand and has a team of men he is responsible for.
8. He has a minimum security classification and has been assessed as posing a moderate risk of sexual and/or general re-offending.
9. He has been well supported throughout his time in custody by [withheld], an elder with the [withheld] congregation, who has visited him each week and shared Bible studies with him.  [withheld] undertook to contact the elders of the congregation at the area Mr Hutchison is released to, to alert them to the nature of his offending and to build realistic community support for him.  Apart from [withheld], Mr Hutchison is supported by [withheld].  He is also in contact with three women and one man he met through a penpal programme running in the prison.  He said that they are all aware of the nature and extent of his offending.
10. Mr Hutchison has applied to and been accepted by [withheld], who have offered him accommodation and support from 13 August 2018 onwards.  Ms Earl submitted that release through that programme is the safest way of reintegrating Mr Hutchison.  She told us that he applied for release to work eight months ago but, so far, has not received a response from the prison authorities.  She said that failing that, he has no way of being tested.
11. We do not see it that way.  There is no question that Mr Hutchison has done very well in his employment.  He works hard and is well regarded in that role, but we do not believe that release to work is going to provide him with the testing that he needs.  His risk will be when he has access to children.  We believe that he has become reasonably comfortable where he is and would benefit from being tested in a different environment - perhaps at a different prison, where he could be taken out into the community on temporary release.
12. Mr Hutchison needs to build a stronger support group.
13. He also needs to build relationships with and work with other people. Given his difficulty in trusting others, that will be challenging.
14. Today, parole is declined.  In our view, Mr Hutchison continues to pose an undue risk.
15. He will be scheduled to be seen again in April or May 2019 and before the end of May, at the latest.  An updated psychological assessment report is required for that hearing.