Judge blasts lack of psychologists

OAMARU

AN Oamaru judge has blasted the lack of psychologists available in Otago to carry out sentencing requirements.

Judge Joanna Maze expressed her frustration in the Oamaru District Court on Wednesday that a sentence of 18 months’ intensive supervision handed down to Oamaru man Corey Reopo Douglas (30) in October last year, was unable to be completed because he could not get a meeting with a psychologist as it was deemed he did not fit the criteria.

Judge Maze questioned whether the Department of Corrections had the authority to reject a sentence imposed by the court and marvelled that she could set requirements to see a psychologist within a sentence of supervision ‘‘and then Corrections simply says, ‘we’ve got a wait list’,’’ and it did not happen.

She voiced concerns about whether judges now needed to take into account at sentencing when addressing the risk of further offending and the likelihood of rehabilitation, that there were an insufficient number of psychologists to see the required people needing help with drug and alcohol addictions and other problems.

She made a phone call to Otago Community Corrections regional manager Raymond Clark during court proceedings, and questioned him in the open court on the case of Douglas, who was initially not deemed severe enough a priority to even be placed on the wait list to see a psychologist. She said he had basically been told ‘‘no, go away’’.

She was told Corrections’ position was ‘‘that might have been the sentence, but it’s not going to happen’’, Judge Maze said.

Mr Clark said the psychologist team worked as hard as it could, but they did have to prioritise the more severe cases.

Douglas was now on the wait list but remained medium priority.

They also did not want to disadvantage the people already in care, Mr Clark said.

Judge Maze said rather than putting the blame for the problem back on Corrections, or back on the sentencing judges, maybe it needed to go forward to Wellington to see if a solution could be found.

‘‘I’m going to keep imposing this condition and we are going to keep talking,’’ she said to Mr Clark.

Douglas was convicted for theft and a breach of his intensive supervision, ordered to come up for sentencing if called upon within six months, and pay $250 reparation.