Non-Parole Licences
Offenders sentenced to a term of 4 years imprisonment or more on or after 1 October 1993 are released on licence at the two thirds stage of their sentence and the licence runs to the sentence end date. The term non-parole licence is used to describe this non-discretionary period of supervision in the community. Offenders released on non-parole licence are mainly those prisoners whose conduct in prison and circumstances indicate that there is an unacceptable risk of re-offending on release. In general terms there will be indications that they have done little or no work on the factors such as drug or alcohol abuse which lay behind their offending, there may be evidence that they have continued with substance abuse in prison, they may have a history of failure during previous periods of supervision or they may have declined to be considered for early release on parole.

Scottish Ministers consult the Board about the terms of any additional conditions to be attached to the licences of prisoners who are released at the two thirds stage of their sentence.

Scottish Ministers also refer to the Board information received from licensees’ supervising officers and/or the police where the licensees’ behaviour in the community is giving cause for concern. In such cases the Board may recommend that the licensee is recalled to custody.