PAROLE RENEWED FOR SECOND SERIES ON BBC TWO

With unique access to Britain’s Parole Boards and prisoners, Parole returns to BBC Two and iPlayer this autumn with a second series.

Every year in England and Wales, around 16,000 of the potentially most dangerous criminals are considered for parole and around 4,000 convicted criminals are released back into society. It is up to the 321 members of the Parole Board to decide who gets released from prison. Parole puts the viewer at the centre of each Parole Board hearing.

This second series will also hear from prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. IPP prisoners have no confirmed end date to their sentence, and can only be considered for release through a Parole Board hearing where the Board must balance the need for public safety against each IPP prisoners case for release.

Filmed over several months, this brand new series puts the British justice system back under the spotlight and highlights the debate around crime and punishment, reform, rehabilitation, repentance and morality through rare filmed access to Parole Boards from across England & Wales.

Clare Sillery, BBC Head of Commissioning, Documentaries says: “The deep access in this series gives viewers a privileged front row seat at the heart of our parole system. The decision to release or detain is a complex and high stakes call with profound consequences for all involved - victims, prisoners, their families and the wider public. How do you decide what is true, what is fair and what is safe?”

Liesel Evans, Creative Director at RAW and Executive Producer of Parole says: “It has been a great privilege to work across both series and to get the opportunity to document for a second time the complex and intricate process of Parole, and the stories that touch on some of the bigger issues in society today.”

Faith Geary, Interim Chief Executive of the Parole Board says: “The Parole Board welcomes greater transparency into our work in protecting the public. It can only be positive that the public better understand the parole system. This series shines a light on the complex and difficult decisions our members make every day.”

Parole series two is a 4 x 60 for BBC Two and iPlayer and made by All3Media company RAW.