The green, green grass of home: Issues in releasing prisoners on parole

The Parole Board plays a critical role in the conditional release of prisoners within the parole system. Such a role informs not only the post release supervision by the parole officers but also in balancing the need for rehabilitation of the prisoners on the one hand and the preservation of the public´s safety on the other. Drawn from an ongoing research, this paper focuses on the emerging issues relating to the powers of the Parole Board in releasing the prisoners on parole as well as in prescribing the conditions attached to such release. Such issues involve the duties of the Parole Board in maintaining the community safety and minimising the prisoners´ risk of reoffending by laying conditions attached to the parole order as well as providing a smooth transition of the prisoners into the community. This paper concludes that the Parole Board does not function in a vacuum as their decisions are interconnected with the supervision process and the community as a whole. Their decisions would not only affect and inform themselves but also the prisoners, the parole officers and the society at large.