Appointment of members to the Parole Board
The Secretary of State has approved the following appointments of Parole Board members.
Parole Board members are appointed, by ministers, under Schedule 19 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The appointment of Parole Board members - save for judicial members - is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA). Recruitment processes comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
The Parole Board is an independent body that works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community.
The Parole Board was established by the Criminal Justice Act 1967. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.
Independent Member Appointments
The following Independent members have been appointed, for a 5-year term from 30 November 2023 until 29 November 2028:
- Anthony Brent Simpson
- Amanda Stewart
- Callum Lamont
- Carol Martin
- Daniel Bettison
- Gareth Davies
- Gary Gracey
- Helen Chamberlain
- Helen McMillan
- Kevin Green
- Nadine Aliane
- Neil Ashton
- Neville Keith McCoubrey
- Paul Jeffery Withers
- Paul West
- Robert Eastwood
- Richard Williams
- Simon Day
- Stuart Noble
- Sarah Shrubshall
The following Independent members have been appointed under the same campaign as above with amended tenure dates:
- Michael Branston – 22 February 2024 until 21 February 2029
- Richard Debicki – 8 December 2023 until 7 December 2028
- Raffaele D’Orsi – 4 March 2024 until 3 March 2029
- Rita Eaton – 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2028
- Ian Pilling – 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2028
- Perry Stokes – 1 March 2024 until 28 February 2029
The following Independent members have been appointed for a 5 year term from 12 February 2024 - 11 February 2029:
- Natalie Banks
- Nicola Bowes
- Steven Chandler
- Julia Chapman
- Rachael Ellis
- Emma Gilberthorpe
- Penny Griffith
- Joanne King
- John Marley
- Lucy McKane
- Claire Mullarkey
- Orla O’Hagan
- Leigh Philpot
- Nicholas Rosenfeld
- Lynn Saunders
- Bushra Tabassum
- Frances Thompson
Direct Appointments
The following current or retired Ministry of Justice staff have been appointed to the Parole Board as Independent members for a 2-year term from 12 February 2024 until 11 February 2026:
- Louise Cannon
- Bob Davies
- Andrew Dickinson
- Geoffrey Hughes
- Rebecca Sirrell
- Tom Strong
- Alan Tallentire
Ministers consulted the CPA before making the appointments which are required to support the Board’s work in meeting increased demand in the parole system.
The following individuals were appointed to the Parole Board for a 1-year term from 1 March 2023 until 29 February 2024:
- Michael Crewe
- Margaret Dunne
- Rick Evans
- Melanie Millar
- Emma Pusill
- Carol Swaffer
Ministers consulted the CPA before making the appointments which were required to support the Board’s work in meeting increased demand in the parole system including a specific focus on cases requiring an initial paper assessment.
The following were appointed to the Parole Board for varied terms from 1 August 2023*.
- Richard Baldwin – until 31 July 2026
- Nigel Bonson – until 31 July 2025
- Melanie Millar – until 31 July 2027
- Emma Pusill – until 31 July 2026
- Carol Swaffer – until 31 July 2025
The following were appointed to the Parole Board for varied terms from 1 October 2023.
- Ian Clewlow – until 30 September 2027
*the above appointments for Melanie Millar, Carol Swaffer and Emma Pusill supersede the 12 month appointments above.
Ministers consulted the CPA before making the appointments which are required to support the Board’s work in meeting increased demand in the parole system.