The Parole Board recently hit the headlines after the Government announced a Root-and-Branch Review of the parole system to explore a number of areas including potentially opening hearings up to the public. The review will build on recent reforms but will also look at more fundamental changes.

So, what does the future hold for the parole system? What are the problems faced by the current system and what are the solutions?

The Parole Board, together with the Cambridge Centre for Criminal Justice and the Institute of Criminology of the University of Cambridge, invite you to join them for two webinars on the topic.

There were two webinars: 2 hours each, 8-9 December 2020, 5–7pm.

The second seminar, on Wed 9th December, focused more on appropriate reforms.

Chair: Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe, Director of the Institute of Criminology

• A Parole Board for tomorrow: how further reform could improve the parole system: Faith Geary, Chief Operating Officer, Parole Board. Respondent: Simon Creighton, Bhatt Murphy, solicitors
• The relative importance of ‘transparency’, ‘independence’, ‘accountability’ and ‘public confidence’ Professor David Feldman. Respondent: Martin Jones, CEO, Parole Board
• Understanding the place of parole within and without a root and branch review of sentencing and of the penal system: Professor Rob Canton. Respondent: Professor Nick Hardwick

Conclusions: Dr Harry Annison

Further details: The Government has now published more details of its long-awaited “root and branch” review of the parole system. The Consultation “on making some parole hearings open to victims of crime and the wider public” acknowledged that “the question of whether to allow public hearings is only one aspect of the root and branch review which will look at four broad areas: i) an evaluation of the parole reforms to date, ii) the constitution and status of the Parole Board, iii) improving public understanding and confidence in the parole system, and iv) measures to improve openness and transparency” (para 12).

For more details see the Cambridge Centre for Criminal Justice website: https://www.cccj.law.cam.ac.uk/