The Victorian State Parliament has just passed new legislation (September 2013) cracking down on those who breach their parole.

Breaching parole will be a criminal offence and gives police the power to arrest and detain parolees who breach their parole conditions or commit another criminal offence. Those found guilty may face up to an extra three months in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.

Edward O’Donohue, the Corrections Minister, said that ‘parole is a privilege not a right’.

Jill Hennessy, the Opposition spokeswoman for corrections, expressed concerns that these changes will not come into effect until November 2014 as well as by the lack of resources in the system to deal with the potential increase of detainees with every police cell currently full.

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