Public Confidence

Victim attendance protocol

Since the first victim participation in an oral hearing took place in November 2007, increasing numbers of victims or their families have taken up the opportunity to attend a hearing or submit a victim personal statement. Since then, the Public Protection Casework Section at the Ministry of Justice has recorded 67 victim personal statements being submitted, of which 19 were read out by advocates on behalf of victims and 21 involved victims or their families personally attending a hearing to make the statement.
 
In order to ensure that the expectations of victims, offenders, prison law practitioners, Ministry of Justice and other interested parties could be properly met, a formal policy on victim participation was drafted by the Parole Board's Procedural Guidance Committee and put out for public consultation. Responses to the consultation were received from 30 different parties, including victims groups, prison law practitioners, partner agencies and Parole Board members.

Following the consultation, in September 2009 the Board published the formal protocol setting out a code of practice for victim participation in oral hearings. This formal policy detailed the parameters of victim participation so that expectations were set and the Board could ensure that it was able to meet its legal obligations to provide fair hearings.

Equality and diversity

In common with all other parts of the justice system, the Parole Board recognises that the diversity of its members needs to properly reflect the community that it serves. It has also identified that the black and minority ethnic community in particular has historically been under-represented amongst its panel members.

With this in mind, in July 2008 the Parole Board joined together with Operation Black Vote to host a Civic Leadership Seminar to raise awareness in the BME community about the work of the Board and to encourage more applications from that community to join the Board. Over 120 delegates attended the seminar, 24 of whom went on to take part in an observation programme, including attendance at an oral hearing and a paper parole panel.

Although it was not possible to track any of the successful appointees directly to this observation programme, the scheme did help to generate a significantly increased number of applicants to the Board from the BME community during the 2009 recruitment round. The % of Parole Board members from a BME background has increased from 3.48% in 2008 to 4.20% in 2009 and 5.23% in 2010.

Stakeholder engagement

In October 2009 the Board carried out the first of what it plans to become an annual stakeholder engagement survey. The primary purpose of the survey was to obtain feedback on our performance in the areas of corporate reputation, stakeholder communications and stakeholder satisfaction.

The survey was sent out to all 400 stakeholders on our stakeholder database for whom we have an e-mail address. The main groups from whom we received responses were MOJ/NOMS front line/caseworkers (30% of responses), legal representatives (20%), representative groups (16%), and MOJ/NOMS regional/resource managers (10%).

The results from the survey were generally very positive. However, there was a mixed response on the information that stakeholders received from the Board and whether the Board took stakeholders views sufficiently into account. An action plan has been developed to address these and other specific issues raised by stakeholders.

Freedom of Information

The Board has seen a huge increase in the number of FOI requests over the last 12 months. The number of FOI requests received in 2009/10 was 40, up nearly 400% from the 11 received in 2008/09.

There are two main themes for this increase in the number of requests. The first is a heightened interest and demand for transparency, seen right across the public sector, in how we spend public funds. The second is a growing demand for information, especially from solicitors, in statistical information related to delays experienced by their clients in having their cases heard.

In response to one of these requests for financial transparency the Board has committed itself to publishing, for the first time, the expenses claims of its Chairman and Chief Executive.

The Parole Board for England and Wales

Grenadier House, 99-105 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 2DX

Telephone 0845 251 2220