The Parole Board. Working with others to protect the public.
News
10/09/2009
Following a consultation with stakeholders representing both victims and prisoners, the Parole Board has today published a protocol that sets out a code of practice for victim participation in Parole Board hearings. This formal policy details the parameters of victim participation so that expectations are set and the Board can ensure that it meets its legal obligations to provide fair hearings.
For some time the Parole Board has been allowing victims to make written statements for consideration by the panel. These statements are commonly known as victim personal statements. On occasion, there have been applications for victims to attend hearings in order to present their victim personal statements in person. To date, such applications have been dealt with on a case by case basis.
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 victim's groups, prison law practitioners, partner agencies and Parole Board members.
The Rt Hon Sir David Latham, Chairman of the Parole Board, said:
"The Parole Board recognises the significance of giving victims a voice by allowing them to submit a statement for consideration by the panel and by enabling them to apply to attend and present that statement in person. The Parole Board also recognises that such inclusive processes for victims in the parole process can be emotionally difficult for victims and for offenders alike.
"We do appreciate that there has been some lack of clarity around what the purpose and benefit is of this engagement by victims. The aim of the policy is to formalise the parameters of both victim personal statements and victim participation in Parole Board hearings so that expectations are set and the Board can ensure that it meets its obligations under common law to provide fair hearings."
The Parole Board is an independent body that works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can safely be released into the community.
In October 2005, the Government published the Code of Practice for the Victims of Crime. It was intended to govern the services provided in England and Wales of various organisations to victims of criminal conduct which occurred in England and Wales. The Parole Board was one of those organisations with obligations under the Victim's Code of Practice and it is committed to meeting its obligations under the Code.
A copy of the full Practice Guide on Victim Participation in Parole Board Hearings can be viewed or downloaded from this site.
For further information please call Tim Morris, Head of Communications for the Parole Board, on 020-7217 0564 during office hours, or on 07725-927954 out of hours, or e-mail tim.morris5@paroleboard.gsi.gov.uk
ENDS PR/05/2009
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