New series of OU/BBC documentary Parole

The critically acclaimed documentary series Parole returns to our screens on 25th September, 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Filmed over several months with unique access to parole board members, prisoners and some of their families, the new series takes audiences behind the scenes in the high stakes world of parole hearings where the futures of prisoners, victims, and their families hang in the balance.

The cases covered this series include whether a man who killed his friend in a premeditated murder should be released, and whether a young woman – who stabbed someone to death in her teens – could still pose a risk to the public.

Dr Neil Graffin, Senior Lecturer in Law and Dr Sophie Doherty, Lecturer in Law, were the academic consultants on the series.

Neil said:

“It is exciting to be involved in another series of Parole. This series is being released at a time when the government have stated commitment in reducing overcrowding in prisons, and when there are important changes to be made to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. What this series demonstrates is the importance the Parole Board plays in managing the release of prisoners, with consideration to the risk that they pose to the public.

The last series generated a lot of discussion from the public on whether specific prisoners featured in the episodes should be released or not on social media. In addition to working with the production team in developing the series, we had the opportunity to create educational resources on how parole operates. We sought to capture some of the public debates around why parole is important, and sometimes controversial, in these materials.”

The first episode follows the board as they decide whether Martin, who murdered his friend 18 years ago, should move to an open prison where he will come into contact with the public.

They will also consider the case of 50-year-old Kevin, who is in prison following his attack on two police officers and needs to convince the parole panel that he is no longer a threat to the authorities.

This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by The Faculty Of Business And Law, with particular relevance to Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB) I R81, BA (Hons) in Criminology & Law I Q92, and Certificate of Higher Education in Law I T49.

Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast & Partnerships

Academic Consultants: Dr Neil Graffin and Dr Sophie Doherty

Media Fellow: Alessandro Saroli

Broadcast Project Manager: Matthew Ray 

Online Producer (OU Connect): Steff Easom

Visit our Broadcast and Partnerships site OU Connect where you can find an interactive activity exploring different opinions of the parole system.