Parole Populism: The Politicisation of Parole in Victoria

Since the death of Jill Meagher in September 2012, political rhetoric has highlighted perceived issues with parole in Victoria, establishing it as an increasingly contentious issue in political debate within the state. The clamour to politicise parole in Victoria has been indicative of a broader trend in Australia, where a sweep of policy recommendations and recent reforms have seen a politicising of parole, such as the introduction of 'no body, no parole' laws. We contend a model of 'parole populism' has emerged in Australia that strips prisoners and parolees of significant rights, hampers rehabilitation efforts and fails to deliver on the promises made to the electorate. To highlight this, we explored the politicised framing of parole in parliamentary debates by employing a political discourse analysis of parliamentary debates in Victoria from 2012 to 2017. We argue the parole has become a focus of political debate in the name of prioritising victims, community safety and appearing tough on crime, which has resulted in divergence from the original purpose of parole.