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<p /> <p /> <p>The Parole Board assesses the risk posed by individual prisoners when
considering their release or transfer to open conditions, and work that has been completed
to reduce these risks, rather than only looking at whether specific offending behaviour
programmes (OBPs) have been completed. It is not mandatory for Indeterminate Sentence
Prisoners to complete OBPs in order to achieve release. Other work that may help to
reduce risk may take the form of accredited OBPs; however, it may also include activities
such as education or training, work, one to one sessions with a psychologist and a
range of other interventions. Although in some circumstances an OBP may be the preferred
option, the Parole Board may consider that an offender has reduced their risk of harm,
despite not being able to attend a particular course, because they have been able
to undertake other offending behaviour work which has achieved the same outcome.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>As at 31 December 2013 there were 5,335 prisoners
serving an Indeterminate Sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection, of which
3,561 were beyond the tariff.</p><p>Of these prisoners beyond tariff, 3,160 had completed
at least one accredited offending behaviour programme successfully; 415 had attended
a programme and not completed it successfully and of these, 62 had yet to complete
any programme successfully; and 184 are currently attending a programme and the outcome
is not yet known.</p><p> </p><p>The figures have been drawn from administrative IT
systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible
errors with data entry and processing.</p><p> </p><p>No information is collected on
how many prisoners have not been offered an accredited offending behaviour programme
and this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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