Parole Board publishes Business Plan for 2006/07

07/04/2006

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.

At the same time the impact of legislative changes means that the workload of the Board is projected to increase still further above the record levels seen in 2005/06. The final caseload for 2005/06 looks likely to be 19,200 for all hearings, the highest ever, and the projection for 2006/07 is a further 8 per cent increase to 20,750.

The Corporate Plan for 2004 to 2007 identifies three strategic aims for the Parole Board:

• To make risk assessments which are timely, rigorous, fair and consistent and which protect the public whilst contributing to the rehabilitation of prisoners so that effective decisions about prisoners can be made as to who may safely be released into the community and who must remain in or be returned to custody.
• To deliver best value by the appropriate use of available resources and efficient and effective processes and to identify and manage corporate risk.
• To maintain the Boards independence and enhance its public profile whilst managing change.

The key objective, set out under "Quality of decision making", is rigorous risk assessment and effective decision making in the interests of public protection. This is to be achieved through:

• A review of the Boards approach to risk assessment with emphasis on the use of actuarial predictors and decision support guidelines for agreed categories of cases.
• The introduction of externally validated structured risk assessment protocols for sexual and or violent offending.
• Actioning learning points from the Review Committee and other sources, including the HM Chief Inspectorate of Probation reports.
• Recruiting external members to the Review Committee.
• Agreeing, publishing and monitoring Parole Board standards.
• Introducing a traffic light system of intensive case management for high risk and high profile cases.
• Reviewing processes for considering requests from prison/probation for insertion or variation of licence conditions, or the suspension of parole.

Parole Board Chairman, Professor Sir Duncan Nichol, said:

"This plan sets out a tough agenda for the coming 12 months. Our aims and objectives are clear and they are intended to be challenging. The most important is risk assessment to underpin our role in protecting the public. It also comes at a time when decisions made by the Board are coming under ever closer scrutiny."

Parole Board Chief Executive, Christine Glenn, said:

"This year I again report a further increase in workload. Although the number of oral hearings following the Smith and West judgement was less than anticipated, it was still a record year for all such hearings. Next year looks no less busy.

We are working hard to improve the quality of the information that we give to victims and will build on the two-way communication that we have developed with victim groups. We want to build robust processes to ensure that the Board has all relevant risk information while ensuring proper confidentiality and protection for victims."

The caseload projections are:

Notes to Editors

The Parole Board is the independent body that protects the public by making risk assessments about prisoners to decide who may safely be released into the community and who must remain in or be returned to custody. The Parole Board was established under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 to advise the Home Secretary on the early release of prisoners. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 established the Board as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body.

The Parole Boards aims and objectives are linked closely with those of the Home Office in seeking to reduce re-offending and in protecting the public.  The Board works closely with the Home Office, the Probation Service and the Prison Service, voluntary organisations, the legal profession and others involved in the criminal justice system. The Business Plan 2006/07 has been formally approved by Home Office Ministers.

Copies of the Parole Board Business Plan 2006/07 can be downloaded from www.paroleboard.gov.uk

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, look on the Parole Board website at www.paroleboard.gov.uk , or e-mail tim.morris5@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

ENDS

The Parole Board for England and Wales

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

Telephone 0845 251 2220