The Parole Board. Working with others to protect the public.
News
The following news items were published in 2006:
The Parole Board today published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2005/06, reporting on its performance against business plan targets, statistics for determinate sentence and life sentence prisoners and accounts for the year. The report also gives details of the work carried out to improve public confidence during a year which has seen the Board come under public scrutiny as never before.
The Parole Board today published its response to the wide ranging review of the criminal justice system announced by the Home Secretary on 20 July 2006. The review entitled "Rebalancing the criminal justice system" is part of the "Transforming the Home Office" initiative announced by the Home Secretary in July.
As part of his proposals for reform of the Criminal Justice System the Home Secretary, Dr John Reid, today announced two significant reforms of the way that the Parole Board works. This is the initial Parole Board response to these proposals.
The Home Secretary, the Right Honourable Dr John Reid MP on Monday night (22 May 2006) pledged to work with the Parole Board to improve public protection and restore public confidence in the wake of recent high-profile cases. The Home Secretary was speaking to 200 Parole Board members and staff and a number of invited guests when giving the Parole Board Annual Lecture.
The Parole Board deeply regrets the circumstances that led to the death of Naomi Bryant and the fact that she was murdered by a man who had recently been released from prison on life licence following a Parole Board review. I want to convey my personal sympathies and those of the Board to Naomi Bryant's family for their terrible loss. The Board is committed to doing everything it can to learn the lessons from such cases that will help to help prevent further such tragedies.
The Parole Board today responded to the statement by the Home Secretary on improving the way in which dangerous offenders are identified and managed by announcing the appointment of two distinguished external members to their Review Committee. This move will significantly strengthen the scrutiny of cases where prisoners released on licence have committed further serious offences to ensure that lessons are properly identified and acted upon.
The Parole Board today published its Business Plan for 2006/07, setting out its aims, objectives and targets for the coming 12 months. At a time when decisions made by the Board are coming under ever closer scrutiny the Plan sets out challenging aims and objectives, the most important of which is rigorous risk assessment to underpin the role of the Board in protecting the public.
The Cambridge University based Centre for Public Law, the Institute of Criminology and the Parole Board today announced that they will jointly host a major conference at the Faculty of Law in Cambridge to explore the challenges facing the Parole Board as its role evolves under changing legislation and workloads.
The Parole Board deeply regrets the circumstances that led to the death of Robert Symons and the fact that he was murdered by a man who had recently been released from prison on parole. I want to convey our deepest sympathies to Robert Symons' family for their terrible loss. The Board is committed to doing everything it can to learn the lessons from such cases that will help to help prevent further such tragedies.
The Parole Board welcomes and will study carefully the Report of the HM Inspectorate of Probation Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the release of Damien Hanson and Elliott White. The issues raised in the Report are rightly ones of great concern to both the public at large and professionals working in the criminal justice field.
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