Parliamentary Question
ByClaire Curtis-Thomas asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how decisions for parole are reached for individuals convicted of sex offences who maintain their innocence and do not participate in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme; and if he will make a statement.
Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office) replied Parole Board decisions on whether or not to award parole focus primarily on the risk to the public of an offence being committed at a time when the offender would otherwise be in prison. In assessing whether the safety of the public will be placed unacceptably at risk, the board is directed to take into account that the risk of violent or sexual offending is more serious than a risk of other types of offending. This must be balanced against the benefit, both to the public and the offender, of early release back into the community under a degree of supervision which might help rehabilitation and so lessen the risk of re-offending in the future.
The Parole Board considers many factors including the nature and circumstances of the offence of which the offender was convicted, any previous convictions, the offender’s attitude and response in prison, what, if any, offence-related work has been completed, reports from the Prison and Probation Service and any representations from the offender himself. On the strength of the available information it makes a judgment on the likely benefit both to the offender and society in allowing the offender to serve part of the sentence in the community.
There is no requirement for an offender to admit guilt prior to making an application for parole, nor is denial of guilt or failure to attend a sex offender programme a bar to release on parole licence.
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