New laws enabling the courts to make orders to keep Western Australia's most violent criminals behind bars beyond their sentence will be today introduced into State Parliament.
The new laws will mean that violent offenders, who are nearing their release date and are deemed likely to pose an ongoing risk to the community, could be issued with a continuing detention or supervision order.
Tough legislation to protect the WA community from dangerous sexual offenders was first introduced in 2005 by the then-Attorney General, Jim McGinty.
The High Risk Offenders Bill 2019 continues the legacy of the Gallop and Carpenter governments, and delivers on the McGowan Government's law reform agenda to provide comprehensive reforms to the criminal justice system.
The creation of a High Risk Offenders Board was a WA Labor commitment at the 2017 State election.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"Offenders who commit serious and violent crimes, and continue to pose an unacceptable risk of violent reoffending, should remain behind bars.
"Alternatively, they should be managed in the community subject to stringent conditions until such time as they are no longer an unacceptable risk to the community, as we see happen with serious sexual predators.
"Our children, the elderly and law abiding Western Australians have the right to feel safe in their communities. The new laws will enable courts to keep the most dangerous criminals behind bars, in line with the community's expectations."
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
"This new legislation will allow the courts to deal with WA's most dangerous and violent criminals in the same way as dangerous sexual offenders.
"By expanding the current cohort of offenders under the Dangerous Sexual Offenders Act to include offenders who commit serious violent offences, we are making our community safer and protecting the most vulnerable from sexual predators and violent criminals.
"Amongst offenders who are to be included are those convicted of murder, manslaughter, and grievous bodily harm, as well as sexual offences including those involving child exploitation material.
"A new High Risk (Sexual and Violent) Offenders Board will also be established to facilitate the co-ordination of managing the State's most serious offenders."
