Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the right of prisoners to be eligible for parole on multiple occasions.

Once a prisoner has served the custodial part of their sentence ordered by the sentencing court, their case must be referred to the independent Parole Board to determine whether their continued detention is necessary for the protection of the public. If the prisoner is not released by the Board, their case will be reviewed again, normally within two years.

If the prisoner is serving an indeterminate sentence, they may be held indefinitely until the Board is satisfied that it would be safe to release them. If they are serving a fixed term sentence the prisoner will be reviewed at regular intervals by the Board during their parole eligibility period. If not released during that period, they will be released when they reach their automatic release date.

The assessment of a prisoner’s risk will change over time and so regular parole reviews are necessary to determine whether they may be safely released. These measures ensure detention cannot become arbitrary or disproportionate to the purpose and aims of sentencing.

The Government made a commitment in its manifesto to conduct a ‘root and branch’ review of parole and the release arrangements for prisoners to improve accountability and public safety; and to give victims greater access to the process. The nature and scope of the review is yet to be finalised and no decisions have been made on whether any legislative changes will be required. The review will aim to build on the reforms to the parole system introduced in 2019 in the wake of the John Worboys case.