摘要
The Parole Board Rules 2019 are the statutory instrument governing the procedure of the Parole Board for England and Wales when it decides whether prisoners may safely be released or moved to open conditions. They set out how cases are referred, managed, and decided — including the constitution of panels, directions and the disclosure of information, the conduct of oral hearings, and the participation of victims. The 2019 Rules were made following R (DSD and NBV) v Parole Board (the John Worboys case), which quashed a release decision and led to reforms requiring the Board to give reasons for its decisions (rule 25) and creating a reconsideration mechanism under which a party may ask for an eligible decision to be reconsidered as irrational or procedurally unfair. The Rules have since been amended to reflect further parole reforms, including provision for tightly limited public hearings.
要点
- Procedure for Parole Board hearings
- Disclosure of information to prisoners and victims
- Public hearings in exceptional cases
- Duty to give reasons