Parole Board launches new parole guide for victims

Parole reviews can feel distant, technical and deeply stressful if you are the person waiting for answers. That is the gap the Parole Board says it is trying to close with a new video and a new information leaflet for victims and survivors of crime, published on 29 June 2026. (gov.uk) According to the Parole Board, the new resources are meant to explain the process in plainer language, including how to submit a Victim Personal Statement, what the different stages of parole look like, and how someone can observe an oral hearing. (gov.uk)

It helps to start with the basic question: what is the Parole Board actually deciding? The Ministry of Justice says the Parole Board for England and Wales is an independent body that assesses risk and decides whether a prisoner can be safely released into the community. That means parole is not a second trial, and it is not about adding more punishment after sentence. (gov.uk) **What this means:** when victims take part, their involvement matters, but the panel's legal test is public safety. That is why official guidance says the Board uses victim information to understand impact and shape questions or licence conditions, rather than to decide release on emotion alone. (gov.uk)

One of the most important parts of that process is the Victim Personal Statement. GOV.UK explains that this statement lets a victim, or in some cases a close relative, describe how the crime has affected them physically, emotionally, mentally or financially, from the time of the offence up to the present day. (gov.uk) The statement can help the panel understand the human effect of the offence, decide what questions to put to the prisoner, and consider licence conditions if release is approved. Official Parole Board guidance also makes clear that the statement does not directly determine whether someone is released, because the decision still turns on risk. (gov.uk)

The new video and leaflet also focus on oral hearings, which are often the point where the process feels most intimidating. GOV.UK guidance says that if a victim reads out a written statement at a hearing, they are usually not asked questions, cannot add new material on the day, and leave after the statement has been given. The prisoner's legal representative is usually present, but the prisoner is usually not in the room while the statement is read. (gov.uk) For many readers, the most notable recent change is observation. The Parole Board rolled out victim observation of private oral hearings across England and Wales on 1 April 2025 after a pilot that began in late 2022; the Board said 59 hearings were observed during that trial period. (gov.uk)

Observation does not mean seeing absolutely everything. Parole Board guidance says victims who are allowed to observe can usually watch most of a hearing, often by video link, but some evidence may be heard in closed session and cannot be watched. That suggests the system is trying to be more open while still keeping some sensitive evidence private. (gov.uk) **What this means:** if you are trying to follow a case, observation can give you a clearer sense of how decisions are made and what evidence is being tested, even though some parts will still remain private. The Board has described this as part of a wider push for transparency. (gov.uk)

A big part of that support sits outside the Parole Board itself. The Victim Contact Scheme, which applies in England and Wales, is managed by the Probation Service, not the Parole Board. Ministry of Justice guidance says victims of serious violent or sexual offences can opt in when an offender receives a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and a Victim Liaison Officer can then explain the system, share updates and help with requests linked to parole. (gov.uk) That support can include help with making a statement, asking for licence conditions, requesting a summary of a parole decision, challenging a decision through the routes allowed in law, and considering whether to apply for a public hearing or to observe a private one. If you change your mind later, official guidance says you can join the scheme at any point during the offender's sentence. (gov.uk)

The Parole Board says victims' rights groups, the London Victims' Commissioner and victims themselves helped shape the new materials, and chief executive Cecilia French said the aim is to set out victims' rights and chances to be heard more clearly. The package includes a YouTube explainer and a 25-page PDF leaflet published by GOV.UK on 29 June 2026, and GOV.UK says people who need a more accessible format can request one from the Parole Board. (gov.uk) What these materials cannot do is remove the strain of parole. What they can do, if they work as intended, is make a hard public process easier to follow at the moment when clear information matters most. That may sound modest, but for victims and survivors trying to understand what comes next, it is a meaningful shift. (gov.uk)