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Parole Board

Q. How does the Parole Board make a decision on releasing an offender into the community?

The Parole Board considers a range of information relating to the risk an offender could pose to the public if re-released and the likelihood of the offender committing further offences. This includes information about:

The offender's previous offences;
Behaviour in prison;
Interventions that have taken place to analyse and address areas of risk and resulting reports on the effect of these interventions;
Reports from professionals such as psychologists and probation staff relating to reduction, or non-reduction of risk.

Q. How does the Parole Board make a decision to release an offender to open conditions?

The Parole Board does not make the decision to send a case to open conditions.

No, MAPPA Guidance is clear that only Executive Summaries of MAPP meeting minutes should be provided to anyone requesting the MAPP meeting minutes and this includes the Parole Board.

That said the OM may review the MAPP meeting minutes when completing the Parole Offender Management Report. However, information provided to MAPPA by other agencies can only be used with the permission of that agency providing.