NCJ Number
89932
Date Published
1981
Length
94 pages
Annotation
Following a review of the history of the development of the parole system in England and Wales, this study proposes a reform of the system that could substantially reduce the prison population and provide for the careful supervision of parolees.
Abstract
The proposal recommends three categories of inmates eligible for parole release: those sentenced to terms up to and including 3 years, those sentenced to between 3 and 7 years, and those sentenced to over 7 years. All inmates sentenced to less than 3 years would automatically be eligible for release after serving one-third of their sentences. Inmates sentenced to between 3 and 7 years would also be eligible for automatic release, but the court would be able to stipulate a minimum period which would have to be served before parole could be granted. In such a situation, the inmate's case would be reviewed at the time stipulated by the court, and release would be at the discretion of the parole board. Prisoners sentenced in excess of 7 years would be subject to parole review at one-third of the sentence, as now. Further, a parole division of the court of appeal should be established to hear appeals of parole board decisions. All prisoners who have been denied parole would have a right of appeal. All those released on parole would be subject to supervision up to the two-thirds point in their sentence. Under this proposal, it would no longer be necessary to make use of local review committees. The advantages of this procedure over the current one are that the decision on the minimum amount of time an offender should remain in custody would be returned to the courts; the inmate will know from the time of sentence that he will be paroled after a specified time in custody; and a large number of low-risk offenders will be released without having to undergo a selection process. Moreover, the parole board will be able to focus upon cases that need careful considerations and the proposed extension of parole suggested by the Home Office Review could be incorporated in these proposals.