The Parole Board today publishes its Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/2020.
The Board is an independent body that works with other criminal justice agencies to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community.
Statistics contained in the annual report show The Board conducted more parole hearings than ever before in 2019/2020 with a total of 29,327 hearings. This included a record high 8,264 face to face oral hearings as well as 21, 063 paper hearings.
While The Board's caseload increases, it continues to deliver independent, impartial and quality decisions by ensuring they are fair, respect the rights of the prisoner but always put public safety first. The Parole Board operates like a court by making difficult, impartial decisions by considering evidence without fear or favour.
In 2019-20 the Board:
- Directed the release of 3,157 prisoners;
- Recommended 689 prisoners were suitable for open conditions;
- Decided that 10,066 prisoners needed to remain in custody for the protection of the public;
- More than doubled the proportion of Parole Board members from a BAME background from 5% to 12%;
- Processed 145 applications for reconsideration following the introduction of the new mechanism in July 2019.
Transparency remains a high priority in which the Parole Board has made strides in the last year, in 2019-20 the Board issued 1,739 summaries outlining the reasons for its decisions for victims, the public and
