Moved by
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
17: After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause—
“Parole board database
(1) Within six months of this Act being passed, the Parole Board must create and maintain a database of family members of victims to whom the circumstances referred to in sections 28A(1) and 28B(1) of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 apply.
(2) At each stage of an offender’s parole application the Parole Board must contact the relevant persons to provide them with information pertaining to the application, including but not limited to—
(a) the timings of hearings where the prisoner’s release from prison is being considered;
(b) a relevant person’s rights in relation to requesting a judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision;
(c) the length of the sentence that will have been served by the prisoner at the time of the hearing;
(d) decisions of the Parole Board; and
(e) any other rights that a relevant person has relating to the provision of information.
(3) The parole board must remove a relevant person from the database if they, or their parent or guardian (if applicable), do not wish their details to be included in the database.
(4) Within one year of the database being created, the Secretary of State must undertake a review of the effectiveness of the Parole Board’s actions under this section, with a report to be laid before Parliament.
(5) In this section, the relevant persons are—
(a) where the prisoner’s sentence has been imposed for murder or manslaughter, the victim’s parents or guardians, children and siblings; or
(b) where the prisoner’s sentence has been imposed for an offence relating to indecent images as defined by section 28B of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997—
(i) the victim, or
(ii) the suspected victim’s parents or guardians if the victim or suspected victim is under the age of 18.”