A word of warning that GPS monitoring isn't the silver bullet needed to stop prisoners absconding while on temporary leave.

It's one of a string of recommendations revealed by Corrections boss Ray Smith yesterday, after a review into Phillip Smith's escape.

The convicted murderer was jailed in 1996 for stabbing to death the father of a boy he had been molesting.

He escaped New Zealand earlier this month, fleeing to South America while on a temporary release from Spring Hill Prison.

Ray Smith says Corrections failed to keep New Zealand safe from the violent paedophile.

He has announced 13 recommendations made by Corrections' Chief Custodial Officer Niel Beales, to avoid a similar debacle in future.

These include limiting temporary releases to a maximum of 12 hours and making GPS monitoring mandatory for all prisoners on temporary release.

But Rethinking Crime and Punishment spokesperson Kim Workman says the blanket use of GPS tracking would be a serious mistake.

He says it's extremely expensive and does not produce the results people are looking for.

"The evidence suggests that people who have a bracelet put on them find all sorts of ways of evading the system and breaking the rules."

Sensible Sentencing spokesman Garth McVicar is also critical of widespread GPS tracking - but not for the same reasons as Mr Workman.

Mr McVicar says any step to curtail offenders is a step in the right direction; but he believes this step doesn't go far enough.

"We're dealing with very manipulative, very, very cunning people here, not just this one.

"There are many of them."

Mr Workman and Mr McVicar are also concerned by plans for a panel to review all temporary releases of prisoners.

This is another recommendation being endorsed by the Corrections boss.

It would be chaired by a prison manager and include members of Police and CYF, a psychologist, a community representative and probation staff.

But Mr Workman is against the idea.

He says the panel would likely be over-cautious, not wanting to risk its reputation being impaired should a prisoner abscond.

"Prison staff are quite capable of making those decisions.

"Somebody clearly cocked up on this occasion, but it's an aberration and an exception and I think we need to move on and consider it in that light."

Mr Workman says having such a panel would be overkill.

"It will mean a real tightening, and I think that would be a shame.

"Because we are in the business of gradual reintegration into the community, and up until now Corrections have done an excellent job of managing that process."

Mr McVicar, known for his hard-line stance against criminals, is also against the panel proposal; but he's not advocating for the rights of the offenders.

He says he doesn't have a lot of faith in such panels.

Mr McVicar says we should focus on tidying up the Parole Board and making it effective.

"We cannot have two or three panels of experts deciding, and one saying one thing and one saying the other. We can't have that."

Parts of yesterday's announcement have been welcomed, however, with Mr Workman agreeing that there has been an over-reliance on psychiatric reports.

Ray Smith made the observation, saying not enough consideration was given to Phillip Smith's murderous and violent tendencies.

Mr Workman says there is too much reliance on psychiatric reports - both on overly ambitious ones and overly cautious, risk-averse ones which don't give people the opportunities they're entitled to.

He says there needs to be a balance between what psychologists say about prisoners and what prison staff know about them.

There's also been support for the head of Corrections' call that Phillip Smith should not have been considered for temporary release at all.

Ray Smith says the convicted murderer is highly manipulative and deceptive, with violent tendencies - and while technically eligible for temporary release, he should not have been considered for it.

Mr McVicar agrees.

He says legislation in New Zealand is focused on rehabilitation and getting inmates out of prison as soon as possible - which shouldn't always be the case.

"We do not accept in this country that we have a category of offender who are so dangerous, who are so manipulative, that for public safety we cannot take the risk of daily releases."

Mr McVicar says we need to come up with a better way of managing those offenders.

He has congratulated the Corrections boss on admitting the department's failures.

But as for the promise to own the mistake and protect the public - Mr McVicar says he'll believe it when he sees it.

He says Ray Smith has failed to address the legislative changes needed to protect people.

Phillip Smith is currently being held in custody for 90 days under Brazilian law, after being found by police in a Rio de Janeiro backpackers.