Port of Tilbury-Police Constable

[Techie1 + 2,024]

Offenders whose cases are held up can claim payouts even if they are ultimately kept behind bars.

Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/PA Wire

Criminals are in line for £1 million in taxpayer-funded compensation pay-outs over delays in parole proceedings, it has been revealed.

Offenders whose cases are held up can claim payouts under human rights laws - even if they are ultimately kept behind bars.

MPs heard the Parole Board for England and Wales expects the total sum to run to seven figures this year as it works through a backlog.

A senior official said it was a "huge" amount, while a government minister admitted it was "far too high".

In 2016/17, the body made 578 compensation payments to prisoners totalling £938,000 - nearly double the £554,000 paid out in the the previous year.

Parole Board chief executive Martin Jones told the Commons Justice Committee: "For this year I expect the total amount paid in damages to prisoners to actually go up because we are making such progress on the backlog.

"The problem that we have is the point at which you claim for damages is when your case is concluded.

"As we conclude those really old cases, people are then coming forward to say 'actually my case was delayed for three to six months' and claiming the appropriate amount of money.

"I'm expecting this year probably to pay about a million pounds.

"That's a huge amount of money and an enormous concern, but I expect it to come down quite sharply next year."

The Parole Board is responsible for deciding whether prisoners can be safely released from prison, and advising on movement between closed and open prisons across England and Wales

Earlier this year a watchdog detailed how delays mean that some inmates may have spent longer in jail than they would have if their parole hearing had been held sooner.

The report, published in February by the National Audit Office, said prisoners who experience delays can claim compensation under the Human Rights Act once their case has been completed.

If they are turned down for parole they can still claim at a rate of around £50 per month of delay, which rises to roughly £650 per month of delay for applicants who are freed following a hold-up.

The Parole Board saw the number of outstanding cases jump sharply in the wake of a legal ruling in 2013.

At its peak in January 2015, the backlog reached 3,163. MPs heard this figure has now been brought below 1,300.

Referring to the £938,000 compensation bill for 2016/17, committee chairman Bob Neill suggested to Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah that it was a "waste of money".

Mr Gyimah said he would use a "different form of words", but accepted that the sum was "far too high".

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[Mac7 808]

Sometime you just can't make it up.

[HazRat 762]

So crime really does pay.

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

Why not give them two weeks full board holiday at their nearest prison instead

Why would argue against two weeks full board holiday.

[Member of Public + 206]

Who said crime doesn't pay?

 

So we have all these cuts to police, social care, welfare yet the scum in society have never had it better. Well done to the uk, logical common sense as always...

Edited October 21, 2017 by PC Wannabe

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

It was easily avoided though. If the Parole Board did what it was supposed to do, and on time then no claims and no compensation.
As they didn't then I have no problem in compensation being paid. What's the alternative?

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

5 minutes ago, Reasonable Man said:

It was easily avoided though. If the Parole Board did what it was supposed to do, and on time then no claims and no compensation.
As they didn't then I have no problem in compensation being paid. What's the alternative

But why, they are not kept in prison beyond their sentence. Perhaps we should get rid of parole and prisoners serve their full sentence. Judges would then give them the actual sentence they want them to complete. The only exception I would make is life with minimum term, were they would have to serve the minimum before any consideration is made at all. Then I would consider at that point and if not suitable for parole then wait a further five years before revisiting. I am sure the liberals will have a fit, but so be it.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

Completely different argument.
There is parole and laws about it. How can it be justified that the State doesn't have to comply with its own laws against people who are incarcerated for breaking the State's laws?

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

24 minutes ago, Reasonable Man said:

Completely different argument.
There is parole and laws about it. How can it be justified that the State doesn't have to comply with its own laws against people who are incarcerated for breaking the State's laws?

Change the laws.

[Burnie 2,084]

1 hour ago, Reasonable Man said:

Completely different argument.
There is parole and laws about it. How can it be justified that the State doesn't have to comply with its own laws against people who are incarcerated for breaking the State's laws?

Agreed.

 

A few years ago I actually advised a HMPS prisoner once to speak to his solicitors about pursuing a case against the state for unlawful detention. When we were chatting with the prison staff on our way back out after re-lodging him the prison staff knew it was true but couldnt do anything about it.

 

The prisoner had been charged and remanded for murder, however, new evidence had been found to prove they hadnt done it. Thus the case against the prisoner was dropped. But due to 'administrative delays' CPS hadnt sent the paperwork to HMPS to confirm it.so HMPS couldnt release him. For 3 months...

 

The guy had been proven innocent but had been left in a Cat A prison for 3 months because CPS hadnt sent the paperwork to release him. Oh, and it was 3 months at the point we did prisoner production (as a witness for a GBH that had ocurred inside the prison), we dont know how much longer they had to wait for the paperwork to finally come through.

 

So delays of 3-6 months to schedule parole hearings doesnt surprise me at all. And in my opinion, those who were subsequently released should be due some compo in my opinion - £650 per month seems fair, especially when you consider that unlawful Police detention is a compo rate of around £5k per hour (so I hear on the grapevine)

Edited October 21, 2017 by Burnie

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

11 minutes ago, Burnie said:

The guy had been proven innocent but had been left in a Cat A prison for 3 months because CPS hadnt sent the paperwork to release him. Oh, and it was 3 months at the point we did prisoner production (as a witness for a GBH that had ocurred inside the prison), we dont know how much longer they had to wait for the paperwork to finally come through

Completely different, he was innocent whereas those who are awaiting parole are convicted felons still serving their sentence.

[obsidian_eclipse + 1,202]

Maybe we should consider parole bonds. Personally I believe in full terms for crimes in all but the smallest of cases - that's what they were sentenced to. A parole bond might address some of the associated costs involved in maintaining contact with those released and an incentive, those who are awarded some sort of pay out for delay could pay it out of that sum at least and it would then be forfeit if they fail to comply. Those who aren't could apply for a bond.

[Zulu 22 + 4,571]

Perhaps it is time for the Parliament to look at the problem from outside the box.  Scrap Parole completely. Sentence a convicted criminal to a fixed term i.e. 12 months and he serves the whole term His sentence can only be increased if he offends inside the prison service and gets sentenced to a number of extra days for disruptive behaviour or, commission of offences whilst inside prison, i.e. drugs possession, mobile phone possession etc.