Secrecy on parole will stop today
PAROLE Board decisions to free prisoners will no longer be a secret from today. Victims and bereaved families can now request a summary of why the board opted for release.
The law change follows the furore over the initial decision to free black cab rapist John Worboys.
The move was challenged earlier this year and he remains in jail while the board reconsiders.
Parole Board chief executive Martin Jones said the body had “been pushing for more transparency”.
He added: “I am pleased that this change will allow for better understanding of the parole process."
GETTY
I am pleased that this change will allow for better understanding of the parole process
“I hope these summaries will provide reassurance – particularly to victims – that these difficult decisions are made with a great deal of care.”
However, decisions taken before today remain secret. Worboys, 60, is hoping to win a fresh parole hearing later this year.
He was jailed in 2009 for sex assaults on 12 women in London including one rape but is suspected of 100 more attacks.
A judge handed him an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of eight years.