Guidance

Oral hearing Guidance (January 2025 v3.0)

This guidance is for Parole Board members carrying out Oral Hearing work.

• From: Parole Board
• Published: 21 February 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Oral Hearing Guidance (January 2025 v3.0)

PDF, 594 KB, 63 pages

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Details

An oral hearing takes place for those cases where oral evidence is needed in addition to the written material in the dossier and/or when the principles of fairness set out in the case of Osborn, Booth & Reilly [2013] UKSC 61 require it.

A hearing provides the opportunity to take oral testimony and to test evidence in support of an independent assessment of risk of serious harm and its manageability in the community. It can also be an opportunity for a prisoner to talk directly to parole board decision-makers.

The Oral Hearing Guidance provides detailed best practice information covering the administration and conduct of oral hearings, including:

• The roles and responsibilities of those involved in a hearing
• Pre- and post- hearing practice
• Case Management Conferences
• Practicalities on the day of the hearing
• The hearing itself; and
• Concluding the case on the papers.

The guidance has been revised to reflect recent changes in policy and legislation following the Parole Board (Amendment) Rules 2024 and the Victims and Prisoners (VAP) Act 2024, as well as other changes in practice.

This replaces all previous Parole Board guidance on Oral Hearings.

Published 21 February 2025