Today in Parliament, Lucy spoke in the second reading debate of the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Bill.
The debate focused on a number of serious criminals who had been released by the Parole Board despite failing to share information about their victims. Members across the House raised harrowing individual cases of murderers and sex offenders who had failed to disclose the location or identity of their victims, causing ongoing hurt for their families and survivors.
Lucy questioned how these offenders could be considered eligible for parole at all, considering they had not complied with the authorities and could reasonably be considered unfit for release back into society. She raised the case of serial rapist John Worboys, who the Parole Board had deemed eligible for release from prison 8 years into an indefinite sentence, and referred to the perpetrators of the child sexual exploitation scandal in Telford.
It is vital that the justice system focuses on supporting victims and their rights as its priority. The need for clear communication with victims about the release of offenders is extremely important, and whilst this is improving under the current Lord Chancellor, there is still more work to be done.
The full text of Lucy's speech can be found in Hansard at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-02-11/debates/DE61DC99-EB4E-…;
