Criminals paid £1m over parole delays

DANGEROUS prisoners are receiving hundreds of pounds of compensation because of delays to the parole process, even if they are turned down for early release.

A report from the public spending watchdog found that violent criminals have been paid a total of more than £1 million in compensation over the past five years because they have not been released on time.

The cash was not only paid to criminals who were eventually released, but also those who had to remain in prison.

The National Audit Office found that £1.1 million had been paid in compensation to prisoners since 2011-12 as a result of delayed hearings. A total of £554,000 was paid out by the Parole Board for England and Wales in 2015-16 – more than five times higher than the £87,000 paid in 2012-13.

The delays were caused by a requirement under the Human Rights Act since 2013 for offenders to be granted an oral hearing by the parole board, resulting in a 140 per cent increase in outstanding cases. The NAO said that “backlog means some prisoners may have

spent longer in prison than needed”. Prisoners who are a significant risk to the public, were convicted of violent or sexual offences, or have been sentenced to over four years in jail have to apply for parole after serving a minimum term.

Convicts can claim at a rate of around £50 per month of delay if they are turned down for parole. If they are released following a delay, they can claim around £650 per month.

The board received 463 private damages claims in 2015-16, a fivefold increase in just 12 months.

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said it was “an appalling waste of resources” that contributed to overcrowding by keeping people in jail for longer than necessary.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the department was “working hard to reduce the backlog of cases” and had recruited more parole board members.