§ Mr. Roy Hughesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of his recent conviction at Newport Crown court, he will make a statement on the circumstances of the release on licence in 1983 of Peter William Jones and on the assessment made at that time of the likelihood of his committing further violent offences.
§ Mr. MellorMr. Jones was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for causing grevious bodily harm on 5 March 1980, when he had already been in custody on remand for six months. He became eligible for parole on 6 January 1982 but was refused parole then and at the next 415W parole review. He was released on licence on the recommendation of the Parole Board on 21 November 1983, just over five months before the end of his sentence. He was recalled to prison on 13 December 1983 because he had breached the conditions of his licence. He served the rest of that sentence in prison, being released on 4 May 1984, more than a year before the current offence. The release on licence in 1983 was thus irrelevant to the offence of rape, for which Mr. Jones was sentenced to life imprisonment this month.
The decision on whether or not to release a prisoner on parole in such circumstances depends on an assessment of whether compulsory supervision by the probation service for a few months at the end of a prisoner's sentence is likely to reduce the long-term risk to the public, bearing in mind that at the end of that period the prisoner will be released into the community anyway. In Mr. Jones' case, the view was taken that the risk of re-offending would be reduced if he could overcome his drinking problem and the conditions of his licence included residence in a hostel for the treatment of alcoholics. The power to recall a prisoner who refuses to comply with the conditions of his licence and thereby benefit from supervision is an important safeguard, which was exercised promptly in this case.