Parole System Reform
Publication of the tailored review and terms of reference of the Root and Branch Review of the Parole System.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
The Lord Chancellor has today (20 October 2020) fulfilled his manifesto commitment of undertaking a Root and Branch Review of the Parole System. Moving beyond looking solely at the Parole Board itself, this review will ensure that the entire system delivers in the most effective way possible its primary function of keeping the public safe by releasing offenders only when it is safe to do so.
This Root and Branch Review will be concluded by summer 2021, by which point a final report will be published summarising the findings and next steps. Terms of reference published above, explain that it will consider:
- the effectiveness of the reforms we have implemented since 2018
- whether the Parole Board for England & Wales, as currently constituted, remains the most effective model for making independent judicial decisions about the continued detention of prisoners
- how best to improve the public’s understanding and confidence in the parole system
- measures to further improve the openness and transparency of the parole process.
In support of this, a public consultation has opened – the first step in our review – that will explore options for increasing the transparency of the parole system. The consultation seeks views on the possibility of allowing victims to observe parole hearings and on whether the media and wider public should also be given greater access to hearings where it is appropriate to do so. The consultation will be open until 1 December 2020 and it is anticipated that our response will be published before the end of the year.
The Tailored Review of the Parole Board is also being published today. This was undertaken in accordance with the Cabinet Office requirement that all public bodies are reviewed at least once per parliament. This review focused predominantly on operational changes that could be made within the current legislative framework, making recommendations which further improve collaboration within the parole system and highlighting existing legal powers that the Parole Board can use to compel the production of evidence and the attendance of witnesses, with the intention of ensuring that all cases progress in a timely manner.
Together with the significant reforms set out in the Sentencing White Paper on 16 September, the measures outlined above and the wider examination of the parole system now being launched, will continue to keep the public safe, as well as ensure that the most serious offenders spend time in prison that properly reflects the gravity of their crimes.