Hon Paul Goldsmith
Minister of Justice

Legislation that ensures Corrections can continue to manage those on electronic monitoring bail efficiently and effectively has passed through Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“Since 2013, the courts have generally authorised Corrections to approve requests for defendants to leave their address for specified purposes, like doctors’ visits.

“Corrections has a safe and well-established practice for assessing these.

“However, following a review by the Ministry of Justice to simplify the language used in bail notices, concerns have been raised that the Bail Act does not adequately provide for this approach.

“The law is being changed to address those questions and provide clarity to participants in the justice system.

“Without these changes, the courts could be left having to process the requests themselves, which would be unsustainable.”

Corrections monitors around 2,000 people on EM bail at any one time and on average approves over 30,000 absences each month.

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