Caroline Corby starts her permanent appointment as Chair of the
Parole Board from today (1 November 2018).
She has been the Interim Chair of the Parole Board since April
2018, as well as a member of its Management Committee since 2015.
“I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair of the Parole
Board. Although the announcement was made some time ago, today is
my first official day in the permanent post.
“This is a good opportunity to set out a little bit about my
priorities for the Board over the coming years.
“My priorities are for us to continue to improve our performance,
maximise our influence in the various on-going reviews, take
steps to address the lack of ethnic diversity among our Parole
Board membership and, finally, I am determined to safeguard the
Board’s independence. I cover each of these areas in a little
more detail below:
Reviews of the Parole Board
“We are currently subject to a number of reviews including a
public consultation on a new internal review mechanism and a
departmental review of the 27 Parole Board rules. These present
us with a real opportunity to make positive changes to the way in
which the Board works. Martin Jones (Parole Board CEO) and I are
in frequent dialogue with the MoJ and we are confident that we
will emerge in the New Year with a framework that suits the way
we want to work and gives us greater powers and control.
Improving Diversity in the Board
“In 2017 MP led a review of the
treatment and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
(BAME) individuals going through the Criminal Justice System. A
key finding was that trust in the system from people with a BAME
background was low and that this was due to the lack of ethnic
diversity among those making decisions in the CJS. The Parole
Board has 240 members of which only 11 have a BAME background. In
order to ensure that we have the confidence of prisoners and the
public, a key priority for the Board will be to address the
relative lack of ethnic diversity among Parole Board members in
the next recruitment round in 2019.
Safeguarding Independence
“As Chair I am determined to safeguard the independence of the
Board. The Wakenshaw judgment in August 2018 looked at issues
around independence and said that further changes should be made
with respect to member tenure and the lack of a formal process
for removing a member. We are in discussions with the MoJ about
possible changes. Safeguarding our independence is also at the
heart of all our responses to the various on-going reviews.
Reducing Deferrals
“Under Martin Jones’s leadership, the Parole Board has done a
tremendous job in getting on top of the backlog of cases which
has plagued us since the Osborn judgment in 2013. The next
challenge is to address deferrals and adjournments. These are
currently running at over 40% of all cases, with over 20% of
cases being deferred on the day. I am confident that we can make
real progress here. Indeed, the outcomes from our project to
tackle this issue are very encouraging, with a noticeable
reduction in on the day deferrals.
In Conclusion
“It is a real time of change for the Board and I look forward to
working with my colleagues in the organisation and wider justice
system to improve the experience of parole for all who are
affected by it.”
Caroline Corby, Chair for the Parole Board of England & Wales
