The Parole Board. Working with others to protect the public.
About the Parole Board
The number of cases considered during the year. This compared with 25,436 in 2006/07, up by 22%. This significant increase in overall volume is entirely down to additional recall cases referred to the Board. Resource intensive three member oral hearings have also risen by an extra 241 cases.
The number of oral hearings that took place during the year. This compared with 2,505 in 2006/07, up by 1%. This continues the rising trend in the number of such hearings, which is increasingly turning the Board into a tribunal or court based organisation with responsibility for dealing with the most serious and dangerous offenders. Although lifer cases have remained at the same level there has been a substantial increase from 74 in 2006/07 to 253 IPP cases this year considered by the Board.
The number of Determinate Sentence cases considered by paper panels during the year. This compared with 7,857 in 2006/07, down almost 4%. The number of DCRs continues to fall as these sentences are phased out under the 2003 Criminal Justice Act. However, there was a rise in EPP cases to 1,269 and a further 313 deport cases.
The number of recall cases considered during the year. This compared with 14,669 in 2006/07, up 30%.
Following the introduction by the Board of single member recall panels this year, 64% of these cases were
considered by such panels, saving the Board £200,000.
The percentage of DCR cases where parole was granted. This has barely changed from the 35.8% release rate in 2006/07. However, it is down from 49.4% in 2005/06. The lower release rate appears to continue the trend in the last couple of years of a more cautious approach by panels to recommending release.
The number of Determinate Sentence prisoners recalled from parole during the year following an allegation of a further offence. This figure has fallen from 246 in 2006/07. Out of an average of 3,390 such prisoners on parole during the year this is a recall rate of 6.8%, which compares to a recall rate of 5.7% for 2006/07.
The percentage of life sentence cases considered by oral hearing where life licence was granted. This is unchanged from the release rate of 15% in 2006/07. However, it is down from 23% in 2005/06. The release rate for IPP prisoners is even lower at 8%, compared with 7% for 2006/07. This reflects the fact that all IPP prisoners currently coming before the Board have relatively short tariffs.
The number of prisoners on life licence who were recalled during the year. This is out of a total of 1,751 life sentence prisoners under active supervision in the community during the year, or 6.5%. This is a fall from the figure for 2006/07 of 178 recalls out of 1,622 prisoners in the community, or 10.8%.
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