Parole orders

Part of the Sentences for adult offenders topic

Understand what parole orders are and what happens if a prisoner breaches an order in Queensland.

In short

A parole order is a legal document. It lets a prisoner serve the rest of their sentence in the community under strict rules.

It’s a form of conditional release granted after a prisoner has served part of their sentence in prison or is granted an immediate release date from court.

What you should know

Queensland Corrective Services supervises parole orders.

People on parole must follow all rules in their order.

If they do not follow the rules, their parole order might be changed, suspended or cancelled.

Types of parole orders

There are two main types of parole orders in Queensland:

court-ordered parole
board-ordered parole.

Court-ordered parole

For people sentenced to prison for three years or less.
The court sets the parole release date at sentencing.
Not available to people convicted of sexual or serious violent offences.

Board-ordered parole

For prisoners with a parole eligibility date set by the court.
Prisoners must apply to the Parole Board Queensland for release to parole.
Restrictions on applications are:
- applications cannot be made more than 180 days before the parole eligibility date
- if refused, prisoners must wait until the date set by Parole Board Queensland to apply again
- prisoners cannot apply if an appeal is in progress.
Release can only happen on or after the eligibility date, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Rules of a parole order

While on parole, there are rules prisoners must follow. These ensure public safety and support rehabilitation.

See Rules for parole orders.

More rules can also be set.

What happens if a parole order is breached

If prisoners breach conditions, the parole board may:

change the parole order (add more rules)
suspend the parole order (prisoner is returned to prison for a set period)
cancel the parole order (prisoner is returned to prison for the rest of their sentence or re-apply for parole).

Breaching a parole order is serious. It can have significant consequences.

You can contact a Community Officer for help understanding the conditions or a parole order.

Monitoring under a parole order

Community Corrections officers will check on people on parole and support them.

This may involve:

checking their physical appearance, communication, home stability and relationships
requiring them to report to a Community Corrections office
having Community Corrections officers visit their home or workplace
contacting family, friends or services to discuss supervision
conducting drug and alcohol tests.

Exceptional circumstances parole

Prisoners may apply to Parole Board Queensland for exceptional circumstances parole at any time after they have been sentenced for their offences. If granted, this lets them start parole before the eligibility date.

These are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Public safety is still the top priority.