Napo, the Trade Union and Professional Association for Probation and Family Court Staff has today responded to the reported comments of Parole Board Chair Judge Graham White, who was overheard to question the importance of victim personal statements following the appearance of a bereaved family at a recent hearing he presided over.
Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence said:' The Judges remarks, although made in a private capacity, were extremely unfortunate and do not reflect the views of Probation Officers who work tirelessly with offenders, victim's families and other agencies within the criminal justice system to ensure that the parole process is as robust and transparent as it can be.' Adding: 'We agree that it's important that families are given an opportunity to better understand the parole system and to move towards peace and closure wherever possible. This might involve them being able to tell the offender (as well as a Court and/or Parole Board) what impact their actions had. There is a critical role for Probation here, especially via Victim Liaison Officers who support those who have suffered all types of crime and their families.'
The Union points out that insufficient account has been taken by the Justice Secretary at the news that there are to be around 11,000 more Oral Parole Board hearings which it claims will place extra pressure on its members who because of operational changes following plans to privatise the service face impossible deadlines for parole reports, limited diary space, often inadequate video links and restrictions on travel.
Ian Lawrence says: 'Victims are not at the heart of a system called the Offender Management Service. The title says it all. Sadiq Khan is right - victim's families should have a say in the circumstances of release, whenever it is, and where the offender may live for example. It's not about whether or not prisoners are released. That has to be decided by independent, objective body - the Parole Board.'
Napo Briefing
Are the views of victims and their families properly heard at Parole Hearings?
A debate has been sparked today by a judge’s inadvertent comments regarding how Victim Personal Statements are taken into account at parole hearings.
As the parole process starts for a prisoner, a Victim Liaison Officer from the Probation Service will make renewed contact with any victim and/or their families. Part of their job is to explain the process and assist in any way they can in dealing with the renewed trauma that is likely to occur at this point. They explain how victims and their families can contribute to the process. The Ministry of Justice provide a leaflet on Parole Board Oral Hearings which should be given to them.
It is an uncomfortable fact that the views of victims and their families are unlikely to have any impact on the risk assessment of whether a prisoner is or is not released. The Parole Board is an independent body that works to protect the public and assess the risks posed by prisoners e.g. ‘Can they safely be released?’ They are thus likely to have a different agenda from victims and their families.
What victims and their families can do is influence any licence conditions attached to a prisoner’s release. Where he or she might be allowed to live or visit for example. This is all part of the parole process which is facilitated by the Probation Service. The Victim Personal Statements can also be shown to prisoners and this can be a powerful message for victims to be able to give to offenders as in: ‘This is what your actions did to me and to us’.
In recent years the place of victims, their voices and their rights in the criminal justice system, have improved considerably. Napo agrees that they have a right to be heard. This is written into law. There is still more that could be done and Napo is concerned that as the Probation Service is split up and sold off in part, so victims are less rather than more likely to receive a consistent service, where they are listened to and told the truth.