Parole decision making
Part of the Sentences for adult offenders topic
Understand how parole decision are made in Queensland.
What you should know
The Parole Board Queensland or a court makes decisions about parole.
Both decide if it's safe to release prisoners into the community under supervision.
The focus of the Parole Board Queensland is community safety. It must balance this with prisoner rehabilitation and their return to the community.
The board:
- decides on applications for parole
- changes, suspends or cancels parole orders
- decides the conditions of a parole order
- considers a prisoner’s
- readiness to return to the community
- behaviour in prison
- participation in programs
- risk of reoffending.
The Parole Board Queensland is an independent statutory body. This means it operates separate from government, including Queensland Corrective Services.
The court:
- decides the sentence for an offence
- sets a parole eligibility date for sentences of imprisonment over three years
- sets a fixed parole release date for sentences of imprisonment less than three years
- can order parole to start on the day of sentencing if released to a fixed parole date
- sets conditions for community-based orders, such as probation.