About the Pre-release Planning Worksheet

PRP worksheet process

The following diagram provides an overview of the process to prepare and complete the PRP worksheet

Initiating the pre-release planning worksheet

The PRP worksheet is completed for all offenders who are eligible to be considered for parole, and whose parole eligibility date (PED) is not within eight months of their sentence commencement date (SCD).

It is prepared once for each offender before their first parole board hearing (at their PED).

Note: The PRP worksheet is not completed for offenders whose parole eligibility date (PED) is less than eight months after their sentence commencement date (SCD) or prepared for subsequent hearings.

Preparing the pre-release worksheet

When preparing the PRP worksheet, staff must:

• consider the purpose for which the PRP worksheet is being prepared and how the information will be used
• ensure that the assessments are objective and based only on what is known about the offender
• consider the information provided in the PRP worksheet will form the foundation for all subsequent pre-release planning, liaison and the parole assessment for the offender
• ensure the assessment and information provided alighns with the principles of the pre-release process.

The probations officer is not expected to make detailed enquiries at this stage; rather it is expected that they will make a brief assessment of the proposals put forward based on what they know about the offender such as their type of offending, history of offending, needs and risk.

Content of the pre-release planning worksheet

The PRP worksheet contains the following sections, which largely align with the sections of the parole assessment report:

• personal details
• offences and Sentences
• behaviour and attitude (while in prison)
• rehabilitive
• reintegration: accommodation, employment, financial, family, relationships, community support, issues related to victims, healthcare
• residential restrctions checklist
• pre-parole liaison checklist.

Each section contains:

• information provided by the sentence planner that is gathered through file review and interview with the offender
• a space for the probation officer to respond with any comments or issues they have identified in the information provided.

Record keeping

Because completion of the PRP worksheet is undertaken in a word document and the worksheet is allocated and passed between the various staff involved in its completions via email, staff must ensure that records are kept in IOMS of the activities undertaken/completed.