Outcomes for life sentence prisoners following release from custody in England and Wales

• In Event: PWG - Reintegration: Perceptions, preparedness, and post-release outcomes

Abstract

People serving a life sentence in England and Wales must complete a minimum term in prison, set by the courts, before they can be considered for release by the Parole Board. It is the responsibility of the Parole Board to conduct independent risk assessments of eligible prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released into the community or must remain in custody for the protection of the public.

Those ‘lifers’ recommended for release are subject to monitoring, restrictions, and supervision and serve this sentence for the rest of their lives. They can be returned to custody if they break their licence conditions.

This research involved secondary analysis of over 1.1 million de-identified, individual-level records from the Ministry of Justice Data First prisoner custodial journey dataset. Funded by the Dawes Trust and undertaken in partnership with the Prison Reform Trust and independent consultant Russell Webster, this exploratory, independent study – the largest of its kind to date – describes the life sentence cohort and reports on the extent and nature of post-release rates of recall, custodial reconviction, and serious further offending by ‘lifers’ and other prisoners in England and Wales between 2011 and 2021.

These outcomes were assessed at one, two, three, five, and ten-year follow-up periods. It also identifies risk and protective factors associated with these outcomes for life sentence prisoners.

These insights will be used to generate public benefits by informing a better understanding of how the implementation, development, and delivery of parole arrangements can shape post-release outcomes for ‘lifers’ and other prisoners.

Author

• Tim McSweeney, Anglia Ruskin University