The Parole Board. Working with others to protect the public.
Recruitment
Your rotas would be arranged three months in advance, based on your availability. You can do your preparation work during evenings and weekends whenever it fits into your schedule. Oral hearings require a certain amount of travel mainly, but not exclusively, within a members regional area.
You can read about the particular time commitments required by Parole Board members in the relevant person specifications. However, all members are required to commit a considerable amount of time for background reading of paperwork and detailed reports.
Over and above the time commitments to undertake panel work, there is an expectation that members will attend other Parole Board meetings including the Annual Conference, the Annual Lecture and Regional Development Days, for which a non-casework day fee is paid.
We are looking for people who can put aside preconceptions and bring to the Board intelligent, well reasoned thought, a strong awareness of victim concerns and with a resolute commitment to protecting the public above all else. To be a member you must demonstrate the mental capacity for assimilating complex, detailed information, constructing logical risk assessment and writing clear, concise and thorough reports. Ultimately, you must be able to justify your decisions in the face of intense public scrutiny.
When making assessments you will need to take every viewpoint and fact into consideration. This ranges from the point of view of the victims (especially when setting conditions of release) to reports from prison officers, psychologists, criminologists and the prisoners themselves. We engage in painstaking, balanced risk assessment that must always prioritise the protection of the public.
Our members come from many backgrounds and professions. Some are experts in the criminal justice system, trained psychologists, psychiatrists and criminologists. However, it is vital we have people with different experiences to represent the society and victims we protect and to bring new perspectives and balance.
Members are located throughout England and Wales. These positions are fixed term appointments for three years with the possibility of extending for a further three years, subject to performance. All new members will undergo a training programme within the first two months of membership and will receive ongoing support and mentoring. The Parole Board operates an appraisal process that applies to all members.
Grenadier House, 99-105 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 2DX
Telephone 0845 251 2220