New Parole Criteria

Abstract

As the second phase of a longitudinal study designed to monitor and evaluate changes in the parole system introduced by CJA 1991, the Oxford Centre for Criminological Research observed 545 panel decisions between August 1993 and May 1994 considering prisoners sentenced before 1 October 1992 and therefore following one-third of sentence, but being assessed under the new criteria (s32(6): risk, addressing offending, release plan). Of the 545 cases, 122 were observed after the Parole Board began to record full reasons for its decisions in writing. Phase One of the research, establishing a comparative baseline, was reported in Probation Journal December 1994.