Drop in numbers released on parole
4 Oct 07
Parole Board for Scotland's work continues at busy level, says annual report
The number of prisoners recommended for parole has dropped, it was revealed yesterday.
The Parole Board for Scotland’s annual report 2006, published yesterday, shows that out of 754 prisoners referred to the board, 283 were recommended for release, compared with 363 out of 764 in 2005.
There was also a significant increase in the number of prisoners who opted out of consideration by the board, 75 cases compared with 49 in 2005. The number of life sentence prisoners released on licence for the first time was unchanged at 22.
The parole board takes decisions on the release of life sentence prisoners and on the timing of the release on parole of prisoners serving sentences of four years or more. However prisoners sentenced since 1 October 1993 are automatically released once they have served two-thirds of their sentence.
The report reveals a rise from 117 to 133 in the number of long term prisoners returned to prison for committing further offences while out on licence. New provisions concerning early release have still to be brought into force.
Chairman of the board Professor Sandy Cameron said the board’s caseload continued to grow, putting pressure on all members.
He said: "The Parole Board is a key part of the criminal justice system in Scotland and I want to ensure that we do all we can to ensure that the board adopts the highest possible standards of corporate governance and best practice appropriate to the unique nature of our work.
"The decisions we take and our subsequent recommendations to Scottish ministers are crucial to the safety of our wider communities, and it is therefore important that the board keeps itself at the forefront of practice developments in respect of risk assessment and risk management. I look forward to reporting progress on these matters in our 2007 report."