Parole Board responds to Secretary of State's announcement "Automatic 'early release' axed for child rapists and terrorists"
The Parole Board welcomes the announcement that early release will no longer be automatic for child rapists and terrorists.
The Parole Board has noted the proposals announced today and supports a more consistent approach to release arrangements for these offenders.
Protecting the public is the primary concern of the Parole Board and any measures that ensure offenders are only released from custody following a rigorous assessment of risk are welcomed.
Notes to editors
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 safely be released into the community. The board has responsibility for considering both indeterminate sentence cases (life sentence prisoners and those given indeterminate sentences for public protection) and determinate sentence cases (discretionary conditional release prisoners serving more than 4 years whose offence was committed before 4 April 2005 and prisoners given extended sentences for public protection for offences committed on or after 4 April 2005). In both instances the board considers initial release back into the community and re-release following a recall to prison.
For more information please call Glenn Gathercole, Business Development Directorate on 0300 047 4348 during office hours, or 07725 927954 out of hours, or email glenn.gathercole@paroleboard.gsi.gov.uk.