Parole Board Recommendations: Open Conditions - Question

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 11:28 am on 25 May 2023.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Lord Bellamy Lord Bellamy The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice 11:28, 25 May 2023

My Lords, I think I should clarify that this particular advisory function of the Parole Board has no statutory basis. It dates historically to the time when the Parole Board was part of the Home Office. The Parole Board has no operational responsibility for the safety and security of the open estate, nor for the rehabilitation of prisoners, nor for the categorisation of which prisoners are suitable for which prisons. In June 2022, the Secretary of State adopted new criteria for the transfer of prisoners to open prisons and unfortunately, in the Secretary of State’s view, those criteria have not been fully followed by the Parole Board’s advice. Those decisions by the Secretary of State can of course be challenged in the courts.