Parole

RANT OF THE DAY Continued from here.

Comparing coverage of a "disgraced" teacher in New Zealand released on early probation with media coverage in the U.S. on parole releases of teachers in this country, can cause you to cringe, if not elevate your blood pressure to the DANGER zone.

June 11, 2008 -

Disgraced former Gore High School science teacher Ben Harvey has been granted parole and gets out of jail next Monday.

He will be less than halfway through a three-and-a-half-year sentence on 14 charges relating to a two-month sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in late 2006.

The newspaper reported on the rationale of the parole board.

It has been 13 months since Harvey's appeal to the High Court to have his sentenced reduced was dismissed. In his decision, Justice Fogarty said it had been unreal for Harvey, at the time aged 31 years and married, to claim he had fallen in love with the victim as a mitigating factor.

The Parole Board, in its decision, said it was satisfied Harvey posed no undue risk if not in a position to unduly force himself into his victim's physical and emotional domain.

In its findings, the Parole Board said Harvey was sorry for what he had done and the harm he caused.

He accepted all blame and had done his best to deal with his offending.

Harvey vowed there would be no repetition, giving an assurance his young victim had nothing to fear from him. He would leave her and her family entirely alone, the board said.

He had been an exemplary inmate and always considered as having a low risk of re-offending.

Nevertheless, the board has ordered that Harvey not be involved in any groups where he would be in contact with girls aged under 16 years, without written approval from his probation officer.

Harvey also had to have an approved adult present when associating with female minors.

There was "nothing nice, noble or redeeming" in the behaviour that opened Harvey's criminal account and landed him in jail. It amounted to nothing less than a sordid exercise in self-gratification at the expense of a child and those close to her, the board said.

It noted allegations from the victim's family that Harvey had carried out other affairs with teenagers but said it could not ignore the fact no charges had been laid since his incarceration.

Harvey had been offered a job in an adult environment and hoped to undertake further studies at university.

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TT - We would link to U.S. media coverage of the results of parole hearings that include the rationale for releasing sentenced teachers who have sexually exploited, abused, assaulted or raped students, but we can't. Parole boards don't issue press releases with handy quotes, the basis of most news stories. The most you get are stories like this, with no followup.

The source of the article seems to be the victim's family. At the Arkansas Parole Board, we found a statement encouraging victim input (sorta.)

The victim input meetings are scheduled at the request of victims or their family members. Victims or family members, and their designated representatives, are welcome to attend the meeting.

The decision to grant or deny parole is based upon numerous factors, in addition to the parole hearing and victim input meeting.

Due to the number of meetings scheduled, the time allowed for each individual will be limited.

However, there's this little proviso from the Arkansas Parole Board 2006-2007 Annual Report: "Crime victims are permitted to attend parole consideration hearings only at the discretion of the inmate who has the choice of an open or closed hearing." (pg 8)

The Arkansas Parole Board has their recommendations online but no specifics.