Parole Board annual report reveals extensive workload

One in three prisoner cases referred to the Parole Board for Scotland in 2013-14 (139 cases out of 426) was recommended fior release, according to the Board's annual report published today.

The total number of prisoners becoming eligible for consideration for early release, at 487, was comparable to the previous year, but down on the 600-700 of the three preceding years. Fifty prisoners chose not to take part in the parole process, a number slightly down on the previous year.

In addition, the Board agreed to the release on licence of 56 out of 359 life prisoners whose cases it considered, where it was satisfied that it was no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined.

However, out of 36 cases where orders for lifelong restriction were referred to the Board, release on licence was allowed in only one. 

The number of prisoners who were granted parole and then subsequently referred back to the Board for consideration for breach of licence was 75. Of those, 53 were recalled to custody. The number of prisoners recalled on non-parole licence was 80.

The Board also recommended that conditions be attached to the licences of 200 prisoners released under automatic early release, and a further 50 cases were re-referred to the Board to enable it to apply specific licence conditions.

Chairman of the Board, John Watt said:

"The overriding consideration for the Board is whether the risk posed by a prisoner can be safely managed in the community.

“The figures in the report show a variation in the number of determinate and extended sentence prisoners dealt with by the Board, as one might expect, with increases in some categories and decreases in others. There was a noticeable increase in the number of life and lifelong restriction prisoners dealt with. To some extent, this has been caused by the number of subsequent reviews which have to be held within a maximum of 24 months when release is not granted.

“Whilst the Board deals routinely with the worst behaviours our communities experience, it also has an opportunity to observe the very real progress which some prisoners make during their sentences. Where this occurs it is often as a result of the opportunities which prisoners are given to learn skills and understand what motivated their offending behaviour. Many of these prisoners are able to return to a crime-free life. However, many are unable to make the necessary change or to sustain change for a number of different reasons. In such cases, it is the Board’s responsibility to ensure that every possible step is taken to limit risk and this does result in offenders being returned to custody. This is a matter to which members bring huge amounts of experience and expertise from their varying backgrounds. I believe that Scotland’s communities can feel assured that their best interests underpin the decisions which Board members make day in and day out, always with great care.”

The report is available at www.scottishparoleboard.gov.uk