SEX offenders released back into the community after serving time in jail will be electronically tagged under new laws to go to Queensland parliament this week.
Sex offenders will also be banned from being granted leave of absence, except for funeral or medical leave, and will not be sent to low-security prison farms.Police Minister Judy Spence said that under the laws, judges would be able to list electronic monitoring on supervision orders they issue.
So in future, judges, if they decide to let a dangerous prisoner out of prison, will be able to say that this person should be given a curfew under electronic monitoring for a certain period of the day or the night and we will be able to monitor that person's movements, Ms Spence said.
This could include keeping sex offenders at home in the hours immediately before school starts, after school finishes, or from dusk to dawn, she said.
The new laws would capture offenders such as convicted killer and rapist Paul Vincent Sutherland, whose release by the Supreme Court has caused concerns on the Gold Coast where he was allowed to live temporarily with a convicted heroin dealer.
Sutherland spent 17 years in jail for manslaughter and rape, but his release order did not include restrictions on where he could live.
If we had our way, Sutherland would not have been released, Ms Spence said.
However, if sex offenders are to be released into the community, then we want to ensure we can put them under the tightest supervision and surveillance possible which will include electronic monitoring as of next year.
Ms Spence said in future cases proper accommodation would be found before an offender was released.
The government has approved $4 million over four years for electronic monitoring and expects the laws to be passed by the end of the year.
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