The Parole Board. Working with others to protect the public.
About the Parole Board
Independent members come from all walks of life and bring a diverse and rich element to the Parole Board. As an independent member they are part of panels that is responsible for assessing the risk presented by prisoners and deciding whether they are suitable for release.
During their first two years they are only be involved in paper panels. These consider either the recall of a prisoner or whether to release on parole licence. After two years they also take part in oral hearings at prisons. These consider release or recall of life sentence and high-risk prisoners.
An empathy and understanding for the effect our decisions have on people's lives is critical in this role. The Parole Board serves to protect society and reduce the risk of future victims. Independent members need to demonstrate their understanding and empathy of victims and those affected by crime. This could be through direct experience of being a victim of crime, through having links to other who have been victims of crime or through a wider understanding of the issues victims face.
Over 30 plus years as a police officer I attended many crime scenes. I met and consoled hundreds of victims and their families and did my best to bring the perpetrators to justice. I saw first hand how lives were ruined by crime and criminals and, when I retired from the police, was able to bring that experience with me into the Parole Board. My experience is not unique or special. Each and every member of the Board brings something extra that makes the Board what it is. This balance of experience helps panels to arrive at the difficult decisions that it is the Boards' duty to make and to protect the public.
The experience I have gained over the past 7 years, working with Board colleagues from different walks of life, has equipped me well. In my experience the broad balance of skills and experiences, drawn from a variety of walks of life, continues to serve the Board well. An over-representation of any one group risks losing this fine balance and could result in an under-representation of the community. As I come to the end of my tenure on the Board I am able to reflect on a period of constant change but of a difficult job done well
I work as a consultant with Victim Support, which is a national charity that offers emotional support and practical help to victims of crime and to witnesses at every criminal court in England and Wales. The Parole Board aims to have the victim at the heart of its decision making process. When considering the release of prisoners, members may have access to reports that convey the concerns of victims. Members give careful consideration to licence conditions, which are aimed at protecting victims. For example, a condition may prevent contact with a victim, or impose geographical restrictions. Ideally licence conditions will provide the victim with a level of reassurance, when the prisoner is again in the community.
With my background, I hope to make a useful contribution to discussions and ensure that victim considerations are taken fully into account. I have been a Parole Board member for four years, and am pleased that the information relating to victims has been increasing. It's a slow process, but is improving. I am a member of the Boards Review Committee, which examines cases where a prisoner, released on parole, has committed a further serious offence. The learning points from the Committee are fed back to members, to ensure continuous improvement of our work. I also find this feedback informs my work as a member of a Probation Board, as I am acutely aware of the risks and challenges of supervising high risk offenders in the community.
My professional background is that I was a private sector manager for over 20 years working for companies like Coca-Cola. I no longer do that, but I still work as a management consultant, typically on issues like leadership, strategy and change. I have lately been doing more work for disadvantaged people and in the public sector. Offender rehabilitation and crime reduction has developed into a recent area of personal interest for me.
The Parole Board has a most important role to play in crime reduction and offender rehabilitation and thus I am happy to be a member. My understanding of organisations and the public sector has improved after seeing how the Parole Board operates. On the personal side, my understanding of human beings and criminals is getting better through the cases that I have come across. I also find that working with like-minded people in panels is satisfying.
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