Following the entry into force of the Restorative Justice Act, all parole applications received so far are being referred for assessment by the Care aand Reintegration Unit within the Corradino Correctional Facility.

Without giving any figures, the government said in a statement that a substantial number of prisoners have already lodged their application.

It said that the Offender Assessment Board and the Parole Board are in the process of being formally set up and legal notices regulating the respective boards will be published in the Government Gazzette tomorrow.

The background work leading to an assessment by the board is already being conducted, given that the Care and Reintegration Unit has already been making the necessary preparations for the introduction of parole a few months back.

The documentation being prepared by the Care and Reintegration Unit will form the basis for the assessment by the Offender Assessment Board, just as foreseen by the Act.

The Offender Assessment Board therefore already has the necessary tools with which to work, on the basis of which it can assess whether the inmate in question has actively worked towards change for his eventual reintegration into society.

The Parole Board, which is the body taking the decision on whether parole should be granted or not, would be in a position to take an informed decision on each individual inmate who applies for parole.