OREANDA-NEWS. Sir David Calvert-Smith, Chairman of the Parole Board this morning announced:

“I am sorry to announce that Claire Bassett, who has served with such distinction as CEO and Accounting Officer for the Parole Board since April 2012, will be leaving us soon to take up a position as Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission.

I have agreed that her last day here will be 6 October 2015.

It is important for the Parole Board that it continues to have strong leadership from its CEO and discussions are under way with the Sponsor Unit within the Ministry of Justice to ensure appropriate arrangements are put in place for appointing her successor and any interim arrangements which may be necessary.”

The Parole Board is an independent body that works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can safely be released into the community.

The Board has responsibility for considering life sentence prisoners (mandatory life, discretionary life and automatic life sentence prisoners and Her Majesty’s Pleasure detainees; and prisoners given indeterminate sentences for public protection); and determinate sentence cases (discretionary conditional release prisoners serving more than 4 years whose offence was committed before 4 April 2005; prisoners given extended sentences for public protection for offences committed on or after 4 April 2005; and prisoners given an Extended Determinate Sentence after 3 December 2012).

The Board considers initial release into the community and re-release following a recall to prison.

For further information please call Glenn Gathercole, Business Development Directorate on 0203 334 4392 during office hours, or 07725-927954 out of hours, or e-mail glenn.gathercole@paroleboard.gsi.gov.uk

ENDS PR/03/2015