Almost two weeks after deciding to release rapist and killer Jamie John Curtis, the Tasmanian Parole Board has made its reasons public.

Curtis was jailed after he tortured a Hobart couple for 12 hours in 1986, repeatedly raping then 17-year-old Tameka Ridgeway before murdering her fiance, 22-year-old Dean Allie.

He will walk free from Hobart’s Risdon Prison on Wednesday in the wake of the parole board deciding earlier this month to release him.

The board initially refused to comment on its reasons and what safeguards were in place for the community, but its reasons have now been published.

Curtis was released for a short time in 2018 on strict conditions because of his past sex offences, but within weeks had breached the conditions of his parole by using fake names to sign up to multiple online dating sites.

He applied for parole again in September 2019 but was knocked back due to a lack of suitable accommodation and the board’s view that he needed to demonstrate improvement in his behaviour and attitude in prison before it would consider releasing him again.

Curtis applied again, appearing before the board in June, September and December last year, with his application being adjourned on each occasion for further information requested by the board.

“The board’s view was the offences that led to the applicant’s parole revocation showed an apparent disregard for the level of compliance required with the type of order the applicant would continue to be subject to in the community if granted parole,” the board said in its recent decision.

The board said Curtis’s attitude and behaviour had improved since his September 2019 application.

“Information before the board since that refusal suggests the applicant has continued to work on his attitude and behaviour as recommended and has sought and engaged with additional supports within the prison to assist in management of clearly identified risk factors for re-offending to enable re-integration into the community,” it said in its decision.

“During the past six months, the applicant has attained medium classification and is housed in medium security. He is currently employed as a wardsman and case notes provided indicate the applicant’s behaviour is polite, respectful and he engages appropriately with Correctional staff.”

The board noted Curtis had been working with a clinical psychologist while in custody, had suitable accommodation and his partner had provided support and assistance in establishing and organising various community supports.

Curtis was allowed to address the board but a request by his victim, Ms Ridgeway, to do the same was refused.

The board’s report revealed Curtis was classified minimum security when he first returned to jail after his breaches in 2018, but internal offending saw him put into maximum security.

Curtis has been assessed as requiring a very high level of supervision and management of his risk in the community, and he will be the first parolee in Tasmania to have to wear an electronic monitoring anklet as part of his parole conditions.

Now aged in his 60s, Curtis will spend the rest of his life on parole.

The board’s initial refusal to comment on the reasons for Curtis’s release saw advocates for victims and prisoners criticise it for what they said was its lack of transparency.

Victims of Crime Support Group Tasmania spokesperson Jim Franke said one of the problems was that because of the way the board worked, the wider public did not know what criteria went into parole decisions.

“There should be complete transparency,” he said.

“If you’re going to be letting someone back into society, we need to know the reasons why they’ve agreed to let them out so people can feel safe.”

Prisoners Legal Service chair Greg Barns SC also called for the board’s reasons to be made immediately public.

“The board’s transparency does concern us … there is no reason why those reasons should not be available on the day that a decision is made, just as it is with a court,” he said.