The Parole Board. Working with others to protect the public.
News
30/01/2008
The Parole Board welcomes the review of the parole process for children that has been carried out by the Howard League and published in their report “Parole 4 Kids”. We have been working closely with both the Howard League and the Youth Justice Board over recent months to focus on issues concerning young people and parole.
The numbers of children who come before the Parole Board are currently very small, but we do recognise that they do have particular needs and the way that we deal with them can have a significant impact upon the rest of their lives.
The Parole Board was criticised by the courts over the case of 15 year-old K, for allowing his case to be decided without ensuring that he had sufficient advice and help available to him. Since that case was decided we have carried out an audit of our procedures for handling cases involving juveniles and introduced a number of changes that address many of the recommendations made in the Howard League report.
In the light of the very small number of cases involving children coming before the Board, we have decided not to introduce designated caseworkers to deal with child applicants. However, we have introduced a designated reference system to ensure that such cases are highlighted as soon as we receive them and dealt with under special procedures.
Since November 2007 the Board has operated a policy of offering all juveniles an oral hearing to consider their parole application, if a paper sift of their case did not lead to a recommendation for release. However, because this policy has led to delays in some cases, we are now extending oral hearings to all juvenile cases as soon as they come before the Board.
Where there is doubt about whether the juvenile concerned has legal representation, the Board will now specifically inform them that they have a right to legal representation and advise them to exercise it.
The Parole Board will be holding dedicated training for members over the next few months in dealing with juvenile cases and we are also working with the Youth Justice Board on a parole leaflet for juveniles to go into all secure units and onto our website.
The Parole Board supports the call by the Howard League both for stronger powers for the Board to make directions and for improved training in risk assessment for all those who work with children in custody.
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.
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@paroleboard.gsi.gov.uk
ENDS
PR/02/2008
Grenadier House, 99-105 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 2DX
Telephone 0845 251 2220