GovWire

The term maintaining innocence refers to those who continue to deny an offence for which they have been convicted at Court usually the index offence but sometimes a different or historic offence. This term is discussed in detail in this guidance and the concept of denial and risk explored.

This guidance provides information, research outcomes and practical advice for Parole Board panels when presented with a prisoner who maintains their innocence. It offers support for panels through the Member Case Assessment (MCA) stage, through oral hearings and when writing decisions. It aims to offer support to panels when assessing risk in cases where a prisoner maintains their innocence. It will set out the relevance and weight to attach to denial of guilt and other interlinking factors.