Parole Board

The Parole Board consists of three members:

• one must be a Legal Practitioner with at least seven years' experience
• two must have experience in sociology, criminology, penology or medicine
• the Governor appoints a Chairperson from the above members

The Parole Board has the authority to:

• grant parole
• defer making a decision on whether a prisoner should be released on a Parole Order
• refuse to release a prisoner on a Parole Order

The Parole Board takes into consideration the following points before making a decision about granting a parole application:

• the likelihood of re-offending
• the protection of the public
• the rehabilitation of the prisoner
• comments made on passing sentence (by the Magistrate or Judge)
• the likelihood of the prisoner complying with conditions
• the circumstances and the gravity of the offences committed
• the behaviour of the individual while in prison
• the behaviour of the prisoner during previous Parole Orders
• the behaviour of the prisoner during other orders (eg: Probation Order and Community Service Order)
• any reports tendered to the Parole Board
• the probable circumstances of the prisoner after release from prison
• any other matters the Parole Board thinks relevant