More Parole Board hearings could be held in public to boost transparency

The Parole Board could hold more hearings to decide whether prisoners should be released from jail in public under changes to improve its transparency.

A review of the independent body has urged more public hearings in the next three to five years, with the very least a “modest” increase each year, and for redacted decisions to be published.

The report commissioned by the Parole Board and chaired by board members Peter Rook KC and Michael Topolski KC seeks to boost public confidence in what the body does, which is “widely misunderstood” by the public.

Among the 34 recommendations, it also called for piloting different ways to host public proceedings, such as by streaming them unsupervised to members of the press, legal bloggers, and to victims supported in their homes or at probation offices.

Public interest

The review said: “There is no doubt that there is great public interest in all the work of the Board, particularly in relation to how it reaches its decisions on whether or not to release high profile prisoners.

“Notwithstanding that interest, it is clear that the Board continues to be widely misunderstood by members of the public.

“Public understanding of these matters is critically important in order to secure public confidence in, and appropriate respect for, a rigorous parole system in a democratic society.”

The review also called for applications from victims to attend private hearings should be granted unless there is good reason not to do so.

It comes as a national roll out to allow victims to apply to observe private parole hearings came into force from April 1.

Reacting to the review, Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove welcomed the “call for change”.

Bewildering

She said: “As I know only too well, victims can find the parole system bewildering and traumatic – given little information and no meaningful role in a process that can profoundly affect their safety, wellbeing and peace of mind.

“These welcome and necessary reforms are key to changing that.”

The Parole Board has so far held six public hearings since they were introduced in 2022, including for Charles Bronson, one of the UK’s longest serving prisoners, in 2023.

His parole hearing was one of the country’s first to be held in public following the changes, but in May this year the Parole Board rejected an application for Bronson’s next bid for freedom to be held in public.

One of Stephen Lawrence’s killers, David Norris, has been granted a public parole hearing which will be held in July.

The review said that the general approach to public hearings should remain, that there must be a good reason to host them over the general rule for parole hearings to be in private.

It added that greater public confidence must be balanced with confidentiality of the prisoner’s health and security.

Plans to carry out the recommendations will be published by the Parole Board by this autumn.

Chief executive of the Parole Board Cecilia French said: “The Parole Board has made great strides in becoming more transparent over the years, but we are keen to do more.

“It is important to be able to show people how parole works and how the Parole Board makes decisions so that the public, victims and prisoners can understand the process and have confidence in it.

“And victims and survivors and the public should have access to information that matters to them in a way that does not compromise fairness.

“The transparency review highlights the key areas we should focus on to further progress our transparency agenda.”