Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Accepted
Paragraph: 63
Victim participation in parole risks retraumatisation without effective counselling support provision.
Conclusion
The Government’s Root and Branch Review of the Parole System merits more consideration than we have had opportunity to give to it during our scrutiny of the draft Victims Bill. It is a policy area we are likely to return to in the future. In the meantime, we wish to highlight the concerns raised in this inquiry regarding the potential for victim participation in the parole process to lead to retraumatisation of the victim without effective support from trained counsellors. Such support needs to be in place before the policy is rolled out and will require additional funding from the Government.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating it is putting measures in place for emotional support, and will introduce victim observation of parole hearings through a limited testing phase in the South West Probation Region, offering pathways to professional support.
Paragraph Reference:
63
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
25. The Government is committed to ensuring that victims who observe parole hearings have access to emotional support if they need it and we are putting measures in place to deliver it – we therefore accept the Committee’s recommendation. 26. As part of our commitment to ensure the system operates effectively and safely for all concerned, we are introducing the ability to observe hearings in a gradual and controlled manner beginning with a limited testing phase in the South West Probation Region. As part of the testing, we are working with the five PCCs in the South-West so that victims who attend parole hearings can be offered a pathway into the professional emotional support services available near them. 27. The testing phase will enable us to refine the hearing process to minimise the risk of retraumatising victims, to identify what the final package of the support provisions should be and to assess the resource implications of the whole policy. We anticipate national roll- out for victims observing hearings will not take place until summer 2023 at the earliest.