Victims and Prisoners Bill (2023)

The Prison Reform Trust is very concerned by the proposed changes to the parole system put forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill. Part three of the bill takes forward proposals in the government’s root and branch review of the parole system. This includes provision for the creation of a “precautionary approach” to the release of a “top tier” of prisoners convicted of murder, rape, certain terrorist offences or who have caused or allowed the death of a child. For these prisoners, the bill provides for:

• A new power and procedure to usurp the Parole Board’s decisions in certain serious cases (sections 35 to 37).
• A new appeal route to the Upper Tribunal where the Secretary of State has used the new decision-making power (Sections 38 and 39).
• A new power to enable the Secretary of State or the Upper Tribunal to set or direct licence conditions (sections 40 and 41).