Inspectorate publishes report on governance of the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland

The inspection, which examined the governance arrangements in place within the organisation, found that the current model created a potential conflict with the judicial nature of the Commissioners’ work.

“The Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland were defined by legislation as a body of judicial character. The initial approach by the Northern Ireland Office of applying a governance model more appropriate to a traditional arms length body however, was not fit for purpose in this case,” said Brendan McGuigan, Deputy Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland.

“Reconstituting the Parole Commissioners as a tribunal within the NICTS will recognise their judicial character, support their independence and be more in line with arrangements governing parole bodies in the rest of the United Kingdom,” he said.

As part of its work the Inspectorate also looked at the working processes of the Commissioners, the cost of the organisation and its operation.

The high quality of decision-making by the Commissioners and the importance of their role in the release and setting of license conditions for offenders released back into the community has also been acknowledged.

“I recognise the high quality of the service provided and the contribution that the Parole Commissioners make to improving public safety. The levels of recall of released offenders was found to be very low, as were applications for judicial reviews of decisions," said Mr McGuigan.

However he said some concerns had been raised in respect of the cost involved in each case and the potential of future increases.

"Inspectors found there is a relatively high cost associated with the delivery of this service with the cost per case in Northern Ireland sitting at almost £8,000.

"The average time taken per case and the terms and conditions governing remuneration of Commissioners are major contributory factors to these higher costs," he said.

Mr McGuigan continued: "We acknowledge this is partly related to the set-up costs incurred in establishing the Parole Commissioners and that as more cases enter the system, these costs should reduce.

"The Inspectorate feels this is an issue which should be monitored, and one where future benchmarking against costs incurred in Scotland and England and Wales may be beneficial," said the Deputy Chief Inspector.

In conclusion Mr McGuigan said the report had also focused on the need for improved case management, an extension of the use of ICT facilities, improved performance management and for the Parole Commissioners to work more closely with the Northern Ireland Prison Service and Probation Board for Northern Ireland to improve existing processes.