Parole Board Business Plan 2017-18
The Parole Board have released its Business Plan for 2017-18
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The Parole Board has published its Business Plan for 2017/18, outlining its objectives and budget for the next 12 months, and how it plans to continue to meet its strategic aims as set out in the 2016-2020 Strategy.
Martin Jones, Chief Executive said: “The Parole Board has made good progress in recent years by dealing with increased numbers of cases and reducing delays.
“Our business plan sets out plans to build on those foundations by eradicating the remaining backlog of cases and ensuring we have a modern, fair and timely parole system, whilst ensuring the protection of the public is our main priority.”
The key strategic aims for 2017/18 are:
- Reducing the number of outstanding cases delayed due to capacity constraints
- Ensuring that most IPP prisoners have either been safely released, or have clear plans in place that will enable them to progress.
To help reduce the number of delayed cases, the Board will implement a new listing framework and plans to list up to 800 oral hearings a month.
Listing this number of hearings has been made possible in part due to the recruitment of 104 new members, whose training will continue throughout the next year.
However, there are several other projects which will help the Board meet its objectives in 2017/18.
For example, the digitalisation project will lead to 100% of members having e-dossier tablets by March 2018. Paperless working will increase flexibility for the members and reduce costs for preparing hearings.
The Board is also assessing its approach to risk through research-led work by Parole Board members and external academics.
This year marks the Parole Board’s 50th Anniversary since its creation and events throughout the year will help share the work that is being done to meet these objectives.
Notes to Editors
The Parole Board is an independent body that works with other criminal justice agencies to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community.
The Board has responsibility for considering life sentence prisoners (mandatory life, discretionary life and automatic life sentence prisoners and Her Majesty’s Pleasure detainees; and prisoners given indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection); and determinate sentence cases (discretionary conditional release prisoners serving more than 4 years whose offence was committed before 4 April 2005; prisoners given extended sentences for public protection for offences committed on or after 4 April 2005; and prisoners given an Extended Determinate Sentence after 3 December 2012). The Board considers initial release into the community and re-release following a recall to prison.
For further information please contact William Aslan, Business Development Directorate on 020 3334 6920 during office hours, or 07725 927954 out of hours, or email: William.aslan@paroleboard.gsi.gov.uk