Parole Board, 'Further guidance to members' (1/4/20)
Parole Board guidance (1) A panel can now make these decisions at MCA (Member Case Assessment): (a) to release or recommend transfer to open conditions in appropriate cases on the papers; (b) to refuse release or decline transfer to open conditions in appropriate cases on the papers; (c) to direct a case to an oral hearing. (2) Members have the option to expand the panel if they wish. (3) The guidance includes factors to consider when deciding whether an oral hearing is needed.
Note
This guidance is from Twitter.
Full text
We have issued further guidance to assist members in progressing cases on the papers at the case management stage (MCA) during the coronavirus pandemic.
In light of the current public health crisis, members will be acutely aware of the need to act more flexibly when making decisions in cases, particularly when we cannot be sure when face to face oral hearing will be able to take place and remote hearings may not be feasible.
We are mindful that we are under a duty to ‘speedily’ review the detention of prisoners in cases referred to us and ensure the parole system keeps moving, which is why we are issuing this important guidance.
A panel can now make these decisions at MCA:
- (a) To release or recommend transfer to open conditions in appropriate cases on the papers
- (b) To refuse release or decline transfer to open conditions in appropriate cases on the papers
- (c) To direct a case to an oral hearing
A member has the option to expand the panel if they wish. This may be helpful if a view is required from a specialist member, or a case might benefit from an additional member. We anticipate multi member panels may support concluding a case via an intensive review on papers.
We suggest when deciding if an oral hearing is needed they consider factors such as: is the decision clear; has a prisoner recently arrived in open conditions & needs time to adjust; are there ongoing criminal proceedings; are central facts in dispute?