Parole for children and young people

Will I get parole if I have no address to go to?

The Parole Board has to decide whether you will commit crimes on parole and part of that decision depends on where you are going to live and the plans that your YOT worker has for supervising you. If there are no plans, because you have no address, it makes it
harder for the Parole Board to decide. If you are under 18, you should always be able to get help with accommodation from your home local authority. Sometimes, your solicitor may have to contact the local authority to make sure this happens before the Parole Board makes its decision.

If I say I am innocent, can I get parole?

Yes. As you will only be in prison because you have been convicted, the Parole Board will assume you are guilty. But they may still be able to decide that you will not commit more crimes on parole. The trouble is that it helps the Parole Board if people talk about their offences and that cannot happen with people who say they are innocent. That means the Parole Boards job is more difficult but it does not necessarily mean you wont get parole. The Parole Board does release people who say they are innocent every week. In fact, if the Parole Board refuse parole only because you say you are innocent, you can challenge that decision and make them look at your case again.

Can the victim of my crime stop me getting parole?

Victims of crime do have some rights when you are being considered for parole. Sometimes at the trial, victims may make a 'Victim Personal Statement' to tell the court how the crime has affected them and their family. They can also do this for parole reviews and say why they think you may still be a risk to them or their family. The Parole Board will consider any victim statement as part of the review, and if there is an oral hearing, the victim may ask to be there and make the statement in person. If that happens, you will not usually be in the same room at the time.

The Board will have to consider the victims' views but they cannot actually block your parole. Victims' views will be one of many things that the Board will consider.

If the Board decides to release you, the victims may ask for conditions to be put on your licence. For example, you may be told you cannot try to get in touch with your victim or that you have to stay out of the area where they live.

If it is not my fault that I have not been offered courses or programmes, does it make a difference to my chances of parole?

Some people come to their parole review without getting a chance to do certain courses or programmes that would help them with their offending work. For example, courses on sex offences are not that common and even if someone really wants to do the course, it may not be possible in the place the person is detained. The Parole Board will think it is good that people want to do courses, but just wanting to do the course may not be enough to show that the person is safe to be released. If the Parole Board decides that you are likely to commit crime on parole, then they have to refuse to release you, even if it is not your fault that courses were not available.

The Parole Board will look at everything you have done and everything in the dossier and decide in your case what the chances are of more crimes being committed. If you think that you need to do courses and cannot, you should speak to staff about it or contact your solicitor as soon as possible to see if anything can be done to help you do the right work to prepare you for release.

Will I be interviewed by member of the Parole Board before a decision is made?

Probably not. The Parole Board will only interview prisoners when they decide they need to. If this happens, you will be told.

What can I put into the dossier?

When the dossier is ready, you will be given it to read and you can add anything you want to say in writing. Your part of the dossier is called your representations. Your solicitor can help you with this. You should ask your solicitor to come and see you in prison to go through the file with you to make sure you understand it all and to help you to write your representations. If you think that anything else should be in the dossier, like a letter from someone in your family or information from your social worker if you have one, you should talk to your solicitor about this.

Can I ask for an oral hearing?

Yes. It is up to the Parole Board whether it holds an oral hearing or not. But you have the right to ask for one and if you do, the Parole Board must consider your request and decide whether one is needed.

If you do not think that your file shows what you are really like or contains enough relevant information, or you think that the Parole Board would be able to get a clearer picture by hearing from you in person, you can ask your solicitor to write to the Board and ask for an oral hearing. You can also ask for a hearing if you do not think that some of things presented as fact in your file are true.

If the Board decides it would be a good idea to have an oral hearing, the Board will come to your prison and hear from you and any other witnesses. As you do not have an automatic right to an oral hearing, only a right to ask for one, you should ask your solicitor for advice. Your solicitor should give the Parole Board as much detail as possible about what you would like to say at a hearing, whether you want to have witnesses there for your solicitor to question, and why the review cannot be done just by reading the papers.

Sending off the application

Once you think that there is enough information in the file for the Board to make a fair decision, it should be sent in to the Parole Board, along with any special requests like a request for an oral hearing. It is important to make sure that the Parole Board gets the file before your PED so that it can make a decision before you are first able to come out. A member of staff will send off the dossier for you.

The Parole Board for England and Wales

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

Telephone 0845 251 2220