This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Parole Board appointment
31/10/2003
The Hon Lady Paton as been appointed
the High Court Judge member of the Parole Board for
Scotland, by Ministers.
Lady Paton's appointment is with
effect from November 1 2003 and will run until October 31
2009.
Minister for Justice, Cathy Jamieson
said:
"I am very pleased to announce the
appointment of Lady Paton to the Parole Board.
"The Board plays a vital role in our
criminal justice system.
It is required to exercise careful and
balanced judgements in deciding whether or not prisoners
should be granted early release on licence.
It must ensure that its decisions do not
comprise public safety and also respect the rights of those
whose liberty is at stake."
Lady Paton will succeed the Rt Hon
Lord MacLean as the serving High Court Judge on the Board.
Lord MacLean has resigned from the Board
following his appointment as Chair of the Sentencing
Commission.
Hon Lady Paton has been a Judge since
2000.
She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1990
and was a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation
Board and Director of the Scottish Council of Law Reporting
from 1995 until her appointment as a judge.
The main duties of the Parole Board
are to consider the release on licence, recall, and as the
case may be, re-release of long term prisoners, life
prisoners, extended sentence prisoners released on licence,
and prisoners eligible for release on compassionate
grounds.
The Board controls the licence
conditions of prisoners who have been released on
licence.
The Board has the power to direct the
release of life prisoners who have served the punishment
part of their life sentence if it is satisfied that the
prisoner no longer presents a threat to the protection of
the public.
It also decides on whether Long-term
determinate prisoners (i.e. those sentenced to four years
or more on or after October 1 1993) should be released on
parole after they have served one half of their sentence.
Certain young people sentenced on indictment
and placed in secure accommodation are also eligible to be
considered for parole.
As a serving member of the judiciary,
Lady Paton will not receive payment other than travel and
subsistence expenses in connection with her work on the
Board.