Guidance

Easy Read guides for prisoners

The Easy Read guides help explain to prisoners how the parole process works.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Guide to help prisoners with their parole review

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Guide to help prisoners prepare for an oral hearing

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email web.comments@justice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The Parole Board recognises the importance of ensuring that all prisoners, particularly those with learning or communication difficulties, or where English is not their first language, have access to information about parole which is clear and easy to understand. The aim of the Easy Read guides is to enable all prisoners to understand how the Parole Board makes decisions and to participate more effectively in their case. The guides are intended to enhance the fairness of parole proceedings and to reflect the Parole Board’s commitment to equality and diversity.

The Easy Read guides are not intended as a substitute for expert legal advice and representation. Prisoners are encouraged to seek support from legal representatives, where this is possible. The information within the publications should provide useful reference material for legally represented prisoners.

Prisoners who do not have the benefit of legal representation can represent themselves or can be represented by another person (although there are some people who are excluded from acting in this capacity). The guides should be particularly helpful to this group of prisoners.

There are two guides, ‘A guide to help with your parole review’, for any prisoner preparing for a parole review and ‘Preparing for your Parole Oral Hearing’, for any prisoner whose review is progressing to oral hearing

We hope that these guides will provide a useful and helpful resource for prisoners.

Published 13 July 2015