New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Lucille Sarah SCOLLAY

Hearing: 4 April 2018

At Christchurch Women’s Prison via AVL from New Zealand Parole Board Head Office

Members of the Board:

• Ms M Coleman (Panel Convenor)
• Ms P Rose
• Ms S Driver

In Attendance: [withheld]

Support Persons:

• [withheld]
• [withheld]
• [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Lucille Sarah Scollay, who is aged 49, appeared before the Board today for further consideration of parole on a six year sentence for manslaughter.
2. Ms Scollay’s statutory release date is 4 August 2019.
3. The victim of the manslaughter was Ms Scollay’s husband.  She was acquitted of his murder.  The relationship was a difficult one.  Ms Scollay’s husband suffered from depression and had an opiate addiction and had been on the methadone programme for 15 years.  Ms Scollay spoke to the Board about that relationship today. She considered that she did not feel that she was able to leave him and rather had tried to help him over a period of time.  She said that she loved him and that she did not want to break up her family.
4. Ms Scollay last saw the Board in January 2018.  At that hearing the Board commented that it was surprised that relationships did not feature in her safety plan.  It asked for Ms Scollay to work further on her safety plan and to put more into her release planning.
5. Since that hearing Ms Scollay has been working with a counsellor within the prison.  The focus of the five sessions to date has been on interpersonal relationships.  The Board has a letter from [withheld], Ms Scollay’s counsellor. [withheld] says that she engaged well in strategies around anger and anger management, and has identified and implemented better ways to handle difficult and challenging situations.  Ms Scollay spoke to the Board about that work today.  She said that she was practising not reacting when she felt that unjust comments were made to her. She is learning to understand that when comments are made it is not necessarily intended to be personal and she does not need to react in an immediate or defensive way to those. As a result of putting that work into practice she has realised that she is getting more respect from others than she did before.
6. However, it does not appear as though the work that she has done since the last Board has focused on the situation that led to her index offending. Nor has she updated the relapse prevention plan she completed following the Drug Treatment Programme (DTP). Ms Scollay needs to incorporate into one document the safety planning that occurred in the Kowhiritanga, the relapse prevention plan she completed as part of the DTP programme and the recent work around relationships with [withheld].  This will ensure that Ms Scollay has a comprehensive safety and relapse prevention plan in one document. The Board considers it as essential that Ms Scollay be given assistance from her case manager to complete the necessary safety plan.
7. The last Board also said that it would be useful to have a copy of the reintegration plan with [withheld].  [withheld] attended today’s hearing along with other supporters for Ms Scollay. In addition to support through [withheld], Ms Scollay also will be supported by [withheld]. There needs to be a comprehensive release and reintegration plan put together for Ms Scollay.
8. The last Board has also mentioned the need for there to be a reintegration meeting after Ms Scollay has revisited her safety plan with her case manager.  This has yet to occur either and the Board sees it as an essential part of safety and release planning for Ms Scollay.
9. With those matters still outstanding the Board is not satisfied that Ms Scollay would not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community and parole is declined today.
10. Ms Scollay will be seen again in August 2018 and by the end of that month at the latest.