§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions and for what reasons he has released from prison on parole a person found guilty of rape and manslaughter within a period of five years and eight months when the judge concerned had sentenced any such person to 12 years' imprisonment.
§ Mr. MayhewThis information is not available in the form requested. Statistics breaking down parole recommendations by offence types and sentence lengths are published in an appendix to the annual reports of the Parole Board. The latest figures available are those given in appendix 3 to the board's report for 1980. The report for 1981 is expected to be published in June 1982.
With full remission for good conduct a prisoner serving a determinate sentence will normally be released after serving two-thirds of the sentence in custody, for example eight years out of 12. Subject to serving a minimum of 12 months, he becomes eligible for consideration for earlier release on parole licence after serving not less than one-third of the sentence. Whether he should be so released is decided only after full consideration has been given to the prisoner's response to imprisonment and his likely response to supervision under licence. The Secretary of State cannot release a prisoner on parole licence except on the recommendation of the Parole Board, although he may reject a recommendation for release.