Overview

This bill amends existing laws to ensure that the Parole Board considers a prisoner's failure to disclose information about a victim when deciding whether to release them. This applies to prisoners serving sentences for murder, manslaughter, or offences involving indecent images of children.

Description

The bill mandates that the Parole Board must consider a prisoner's failure to disclose relevant information when making public protection decisions regarding their release. This applies in several scenarios:

Murder or Manslaughter Cases:

For prisoners serving life sentences for murder or manslaughter, if the Parole Board is unaware of the victim's remains' location and believes the prisoner possesses undisclosed information regarding their disposal, this non-disclosure must be considered in their release decision.

Indecent Images Cases:

For prisoners serving sentences for taking or making indecent images of children, if the Parole Board is unaware of the child's identity and believes the prisoner has undisclosed information, this non-disclosure must also be considered in their release decision.

The bill applies retrospectively, covering sentences passed before the enactment of similar legislation in 2019. It also extends across the UK's legal jurisdictions (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Crown Dependencies).

Government Spending

The bill does not directly specify any changes to UK government spending. The impact will likely be indirect, potentially involving increased administrative costs for the Parole Board in reviewing cases and considering the additional criteria.

Groups Affected

• Prisoners: Those serving sentences for murder, manslaughter, or offences involving indecent images of children may face longer imprisonment if they fail to disclose relevant information.
• Victims' Families: The bill aims to provide more consideration to the families' need for information, offering them more closure if the prisoner provides information about the victim.
• Parole Board: The Parole Board's workload will increase as they are required to consider additional factors in their decision-making process.

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