An individual can be considered for parole halfway through a long term prison sentence. A long term sentence is four years or more. This decision is made by the parole board.
The parole board will ask us to give them information about the individual which will help them to make their decision. The Police, prison social workers and prison officers will also be asked to provide information to assess whether they can be safely managed in the community.
If the parole board recommend release, the prisoner can serve the rest of their sentence in the community. However, they will have to meet the conditions of a parole licence.
If the individual is released on parole, but do not meet the conditions of their licence, they could be returned to prison to serve the rest of their sentence.