CHAPTER 14 - PAROLE

Abstract

This chapter discusses the work of the Parole Board. Parole was introduced into the British penal system on 1 April 1968 under the Criminal Justice Act of 1967. The Parole Unit was formed in late 1967 within the Probation and After-Care Department of the Home Office to administer the parole scheme in England and Wales; the Parole Board, an independent statutory body, was also formed. The Parole Board issues an annual Report (RPB) that primarily describes how the system has worked in the year under review. The report notes any changes in its operation, which is continually under review, and gives statistics on the operation of the system. Prisoners serving a fixed sentence of 18 months and over may be released on parole after serving one-third of their sentence, or 12 months, whichever expires later. They are considered shortly before they become eligible and, thereafter, if they have not been released in the meantime, annually. Release is on license and under the supervision of a probation officer, and in the case of an ordinary prisoner until the “earliest date of release,” which is the date the prisoner would have been released had he remained in prison and gained full remission.