Member

Under the provisions of this proposed new clause, and in line with the recommendations of the review, the Parole Board would still engage in exactly the same careful, reasoned and deliberate decision-making that it currently does at 66%. No doubt many offenders would fail to secure their first release at 50%, but there is no doubt that many would satisfy robust public protection criteria at that point, as much as they would at two-thirds. The lengthy custodial terms served by most EDS prisoners mean that serving half of it would still be enough time to participate in rehabilitation and would incentivise them to engage constructively with programmes and interventions.