Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Parole Board on the involvement of victims in early parole release decisions.

We have interpreted “early parole” to mean a release direction made by the Parole Board once a prisoner serving a parole-eligible sentence has completed the minimum custodial term (tariff) set at the point of sentence and so becomes eligible for release.

It is important in the parole process that victims’ voices are heard and that they receive information and support to understand how the Parole Board reaches its decisions. We work closely with the Board on victims’ involvement and how to ensure their rights under the Victims’ Code and Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 are being met. This includes the right for victims to submit a Victim Personal Statement to the Parole Board explaining how the crime has affected them and their families. Eligible victims may also make representations about licence conditions imposed on offenders when released and, since 1 April 2025, we have worked with the Parole Board on measures to support victims to apply to observe parole hearings. Throughout the process victims are kept updated and given support by their Victim Liaison Officer, where they have signed up to the Victim Contact Scheme operated by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.