Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Prisoners' Families Helpline

Helpline opening hours:
Monday - Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am - 3pm

  • Phone
Worried about a prisoner?
  • Twitter
Menu
  • Arrest
    • After arrest
    • Being charged
    • Bail
    • Caution
    • Rights in custody
  • Going to court
    • Types of Courts
      • Magistrates Court
      • Crown Court
      • Youth Court
    • On the day
      • Facilities at court
      • What time to attend
    • Remand in custody
  • Community sentences
    • What are community sentences
    • What is a breach?
    • Offender managers
  • Prison Sentences
    • First days in prison
      • Where will they be taken
      • Locating a prisoner
      • Visiting prison
      • Help with the cost of prison visits
      • Staying in touch
      • Worried about self harm/ suicide
    • Keeping safe in prison
    • Care and support in prison
      • Healthcare in prison
      • Family support
      • Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT)
      • Prisoner debt and money
    • Sentencing
      • Sentence length
      • Indeterminate, extended and life sentences
    • Prison life
      • Prison life videos
      • What to expect
      • Property and money
      • Prisoner Categories
      • Transfers
    • Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL)
    • How to make a complaint
  • Release
    • Release date
    • Release on licence
    • Home Detention Curfew (HDC)
    • Parole
    • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
    • Recall to prison
  • Support for families
    • Helpline
    • HMPPS Updates to Prisoners' Families
    • Useful links
    • Covid news: How are we doing?
  • FAQs
    • Locating a prisoner
    • Keeping in touch with a prisoner
    • Sending in clothing
    • Making a complaint
    • Probation issues
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Parole
  1. Release

Parole

When can a prisoner apply for parole? 

A prisoner serving a determinate sentence (not a life sentence or IPP) can apply for parole up to six months before their Parole Eligibility Date (PED). When their Parole Eligibility Date is will depend entirely on the length of sentence they were given in court. It will not be earlier than the half-way point of their sentence. 

How does a prisoner apply for parole? 

A prisoner should be given an application form, around six months prior to their PED, asking whether they wish to be considered for release. If the prisoner does wish to be released subject to parole then they should complete and submit this application. If they need help with this application then their personal officer or prison parole clerk may be able to help them. They can also ask a solicitor to have a look at the application form before submitting.  

What happens then? 

Once the application has been submitted then the prison will compile a file on the prisoner. This file is called the ‘dossier’. This will include information about the crimes committed, the prisoner’s time in prison and their plans for release. 

Once the file is complete, the prisoner will have the opportunity to read it and make a written contribution. This part of the dossier is called ‘the prisoner’s representations’. They should ask their solicitor for help with this. Following this process three members of the parole board, often called ‘the panel’, will meet to review it and discuss the case. The prisoner cannot attend this meeting. 

The parole board will consider the possibility of the prisoner committing further offences upon release and will discuss the potential risk to the public if parole is granted. 

When will the prisoner receive the Parole Board’s decision? 

It can take around six months for the whole process to be dealt with and for the parole board to make a decision. Once a decision has been made the prisoner will usually be told within a few days. The prisoner should receive the decision in writing along with the reasons for it. 

When will the prisoner be released once parole is granted? 

If the prisoner’s application for parole is granted then they will be released on their Parole Eligibility Date (PED). If their PED has passed because their initial application was refused then they should be released at the earliest opportunity. 

What happens if parole is not granted? 

If parole is refused, sometimes called a ‘knock back’, then the prisoner should speak to their solicitor to see if there are any grounds in the refusal that can be challenged. If it is not possible to challenge the decision then the prisoner will usually have to wait a year before they can apply again. The decision can only be challenged if information that should have been in the dossier was missing, if the correct procedure was not followed or if the reasons given for the ‘knock back’ were not good enough. The decision cannot be challenged purely because the prisoner disagrees with it. 

Can the victim of the crime stop a prisoner being released? 

The parole board has to take into account the views of the victim about the prisoner’s release. However, it would be very rare for the victim to be a part of the release decision. This is because the victim does not have access to information about the prisoner’s time in prison, how they have addressed their offending behaviour and how they might have changed. 

Scotland 

If your loved one is serving a sentence in Scotland, please visit the Parole Board for Scotland’s website. 


Download and print our fact sheet:

Parole PDF

Published: 16th October, 2020

Updated: 15th February, 2021

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service

    Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service

    We understand that not all contact from people in prison is welcome. Help is available if you want to stop getting calls, letters or texts from a prisoner.

  • Fideos Bywyd Carchar

    Mae'r gyfres hon o fideos byr wedi'i datblygu mewn partneriaeth â charcharorion a'u teuluoedd. Mae’n archwilio’r gwahanol agweddau ar fywyd carchar a’r cymorth y gall eich anwyliaid ei gael yn ystod ei amser yn y ddalfa.

  • جیل کی زندگی کی ویڈیوز

    مختصر ویڈیوز کا یہ سلسلہ قیدیوں اور ان کے اہل خانہ کے اشتراک سے تیار کیا گیا ہے۔ یہ جیل کی زندگی کے مختلف پہلوؤں کی کھوج کرتا ہے اور آپ کے پیارے کو حراست میں رہنے کے دوران ان تک رسائی حاصل ہو سکتی ہے۔

  • Videos Nolosha Xabsiga

    Fiidiyowyadan taxanaha ah ee gaagaaban ayaa la sameeyay iyadoo lala kaashanayo maxaabiista iyo qoysaskooda. Waxay sahamisaa dhinacyada kala duwan ee nolosha xabsiga iyo taageerada qofka aad jeceshahay heli karo inta lagu jiro muddada xabsiga.

Related

  • Recall to prison

    Recall to prison

  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act

    Rehabilitation of Offenders Act

  • Release on licence

    Release on licence

  • Home Detention Curfew (HDC)

    Home Detention Curfew (HDC)

  • Release date

    Release date

Most read

  • Sentence length

    Sentence length

  • Locating a prisoner

    Locating a prisoner

  • Remand in custody

    Remand in custody

  • Visiting prison

    Visiting prison

  • Transfers

    Transfers

  • Release date

    Release date

  • Prisoner Categories

    Prisoner Categories

  • Property and money

    Property and money

  • Contact our Helpline Team

    Contact our Helpline Team

    We're here to help and support you through your experience with the criminal justice system

  • Recall to prison

    Recall to prison

Latest tweet

For more info:

  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland

Follow us

  • Twitter

Useful links

  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy policy
  • Website survey

Helpline

Phone number: 0808 808 2003



© Prisoners' Families Helpline 2022.
All rights reserved.

The National Prisoners’ Families Helpline is operated by Prison Advice and Care Trust under contract to His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS).

The NICCO website provides information for professionals who come into contact with the children and families of offenders.

 

Manage Cookie Preferences