Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Justice to detail (i) any risk assessment carried out on offenders convicted of stalking and exhibiting fixated behaviour prior to their release from custody; and (ii) any steps she is taking to help safeguard victims on their release.
Minister of Justice: Where an individual convicted of stalking, or whose behaviour includes fixation on another person, is subject to statutory supervision on release, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland assesses and reviews risk using established probation assessment tools. Where appropriate, information is shared with the Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland (PPANI) and other agencies to support risk management and public protection.
Individuals serving custodial sentences of less than 12 months are not subject to statutory post-release supervision but may be considered under PPANI arrangements where necessary.
Measures to safeguard victims may include licence conditions, exclusion zones, multi-agency risk management arrangements and consideration of any existing protective orders.
Victims registered with the Prisoner Release Victim Information Scheme (PRVIS) or the Probation Board’s Victim Information Unit are kept informed of relevant release arrangements and may raise concerns which can be considered as part of release planning and risk management.
ENDS
