The Parole Board for England & Wales Annual Report 2024/25
The Parole Board has laid before Parliament its Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
The Annual Report
The Parole Board’s overall priority is protecting the public, and it plays a vital role in doing so, by assessing whether prisoners are safe to be released.
During 2024/25, we decided that 12,790 prisoners needed to stay in prison for the protection of the public and 3,872 prisoners were released.
During the reporting year, the Parole Board continued to conduct the majority of its oral hearings remotely, based on an assessment of the case.
Our key statistics for the end of the reporting year:
- 8,531 oral hearings were conducted
- 12,790 prisoners were refused release at paper and oral hearing
- 3,872 prisoners were directed for release at paper and oral hearing
- 501 prisoners were recommended for open conditions at paper and oral hearing
- 2,118 decision summaries were issued. These have been made available mainly to victims, but also members of the public, researchers and journalists.
- A further 2 public hearings were held in 2024/25. We expect more cases to be opened up to the public, where the legal test for an open hearing is met, in the next financial year.
Further details regarding the Parole Board’s performance can be found above within the Performance Data document 2024/25.
The Board also carried out a huge amount of other important work:
- We worked with the BBC on a six-part television series called Parole. The first series was so successful in explaining the work of the Parole Board to the public, that in the autumn of 2024, it worked again with the BBC and a second series of Parole was broadcast. According to BBC figures, it is estimated that over 4 million people have watched these two series.
- Following the pilot to allow victims to apply to observe private oral hearings, the national rollout commenced from 01 April 2025. Victims and survivors of crime can now apply to observe a private hearing in any prison in England and Wales and the guidance makes clear to our members that unless there are exceptional reasons, the request should be granted.
- A recruitment campaign resulting in the appointment of 78 Independent Members concluded in 2024/25 with tenures starting from May 2025, November 2025 and January 2026.
- Three further recruitment campaigns commenced during 2024/25 for Psychiatrist, Psychologist and Judicial members. Once concluded member tenures are expected to commence from November 2025 and January 2026.
- The Parole Board established an IPP taskforce made up of experienced staff and members to focus on these cases. In 2024/25 the Parole Board terminated 352 (41%) IPP licences. 198 (23%) consisted of variations to their licences and 313 (36%) had their terminations refused.
- 26 SFOs were referred to the Parole Board at the point of charging. Our convicted SFO rate remains low at under 0.5%.
Register of Management Committee Members’ interests
The below details any additional interests or personal relationships that Management Committee members may have with outside bodies or individuals which might, to their knowledge, conflict with the work of the Ministry of Justice and its Agency. It also includes details of political activities, shareholdings and sponsorships as well as interests of close family members/people living in the same household.
| Name | Interest held |
|---|---|
| Caroline Corby | Chair of Peabody Trust (appointed April 2024) Chair of the Professional Standards Authority (appointed February 2021) and a NED of the Security Industry Authority (appointed September 2022). Member of the Management Committee of the Public Chairs’ Forum (appointed October 2019) and a Trustee of the JML Charitable Trust (appointed May 2017). |
| Cecilia French | No interests to declare |
| Robert McKeon | Tribunal Member of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. Published book on “Parole: The Fate of Prisoners in My Hands and the High-stakes Risks of Getting it Wrong 05.09.24 . Robert left his role in Management Committee in October 2024. |
| Alan Clamp | Chief Executive of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, Board member at the Intellectual Property Regulation Board. |
| Peter Rook | Associate Member Red Lion Chambers, Member of Advisory Committee, The Sheriffs’ and Recorder’s Fund. |
| Julie Dent | Chair of Colab, an Exeter based charity that provides services to homeless and vulnerable people including people in the criminal justice system in the community |
| Maneer Afsar | Board of Trustees for NACRO |
| Cassie Williams | Barrister specialising in Fire Safety Law at 33 Bedford Row chambers . Assistant Chief Examiner for Ethics at the Bar Standards Board |
| Keira Shepperson | In employment of the British Business Bank and holds 4 company directorships . Midlands engine investments limited, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly investments limited, Northern powerhouse investments limited, 55 Babington Road Limited (leaseholder). |
| Ifty Ahmed | No interests to declare |