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Supreme Court Judge appointed chair of Prisoners Review Board
A Supreme Court Judge has been appointed as chairperson of the Prisoners Review Board of Western Australia.
Emma Musgrave
Supreme Court Judge Jeremy Curthoys has taken on the chairperson role of the Prisoners Review Board of Western Australia. He has also been appointed chairperson of the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board (MIARB) and chairperson of the Supervised Release Review Board (SRRB).
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As noted on the WA government's website, the Prisoners Review Board (previously the Parole Board) was established on 28 January 2007 under section 102 of the Sentence Administration Act 2003 (the Act) as an independent statutory body.
The Prisoners Review Board has the authority to grant, defer or refuse parole for adult offenders, while the SRRB performs a similar role for youth offenders.
Meanwhile, the MIARB “has various powers and obligations relating to people accused of crimes and found unfit to stand trial, or not guilty on account of unsoundness of mind due to intellectual impairment or mental illness”, a statement explained.
Justice Curthoy's new posts will see him replace former chief judge of the District Court Kevin Sleight, who was appointed to serve on the boards back in April this year until a longer-term appointment was made. His chair posts will become effective from 7 January 2023 and will run for three years.
Justice Curthoy was admitted to practice in 1980. He was appointed a District Court Judge in 2011 and joined the Supreme Court in 2014, concurrently serving as President of the State Administrative Tribunal for four years.
Throughout his career, Justice Curthoy has conducted many criminal trials and, as Attorney-General John Quigley noted, is very experienced in sentencing matters.
“I congratulate Justice Curthoys, an experienced Supreme Court Judge, whose strong work ethic and dedication to the law will serve the review boards well," the AG said.
“I'm pleased that we have been able to appoint a person with experience in the criminal law and sentencing. He has also contributed extensively to education in the legal profession across the past few decades, both for the Law Society of WA and other institutions.
“I also thank Judge Sleight for his continuing service in these roles since being appointed this year.”
Commenting further, Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston said:
“The WA community has high expectations concerning decisions regarding the release of prisoners, young offenders and accused persons.
“These review boards have critical responsibilities in considering factors affecting the public, offenders and victims of crime.
“I trust that Justice Curthoys' leadership will continue that commitment to balancing the safety of the community with the management of risk associated with offenders and accused persons.”
