A law student from London is among several from the University of Hertfordshire’s Law School (HLS) who have conducted a unique initiative aimed at helping prisoners to understand the parole system.
Two groups of four undergraduate and postgraduate law students have carried out three first-of-their-kind workshops with expert oversight from academics and the support of a prison solicitor (Ms Harjit Chana, from Wells Burcome Solicitors).
The three workshops helped prisoners understand the parole process and take part in a mock oral hearing to understand the role of the parole board when making the all-important decision.
The law students were granted access to HMP The Mount, in Hemel Hempstead, to conduct the workshops, where they engaged with 20 male prisoners.
The idea builds on education classes that Herts’ students have been doing with 40 prisoners over the previous year, aimed at reducing re-offending and assisting with domestic problems such as debt and disclosure of convictions to assist with finding employment upon release.
The idea for a focus on parole came from the prison itself when it realised that prisoners didn’t have a good understanding of how the parole system works.
Zaherah Saghir, Senior Lecturer at Hertfordshire Law School, said:
“The purpose of these exercises is to support rehabilitation by improving the life chances of prisoners once they are released.
“Most prisoners have little knowledge of the parole process despite spending years in prison. There are more than an average proportion of prisoners with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, so they need extra guidance with completing forms and understanding their parole dossier.
“Prisoners need to see parole from the other side so they can begin to understand the role of the parole board.”
The three-part series began with Herts’ students providing an overview of the parole process followed by a workshop on advocacy skills.
The prisoners then worked on a fictional case involving a prisoner eligible for parole. They drafted written representations on his behalf and concluded the workshops with a mock oral hearing.
For the hearing, each prisoner was assigned a role, either that of a parole board member, a probation officer or legal representative. Those on the panel drafted questions, while others used their advocacy skills to address those challenging and hard-hitting questions.
“This exercise has been a significant eye-opener for the prisoners, all of whom expressed that they now feel better informed about the parole process and more confident in demonstrating the positive changes they have made while in custody, to the parole board.
“The work we are doing here has the capacity to extend into more rehabilitative partnerships aimed at generating positive prospects for prisoners who are successfully paroled.”
Final-year Herts’ law student, Veronika Slavova, from Croydon in South London, said the engagement with prisoners had been valuable for the students.
“Taking part in this initiative has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my legal education. It offered a rare opportunity to engage with people directly affected by the justice system and to better understand the challenges they face when preparing for parole.
“It’s been a reminder of why I chose to study law in the first place: to use my skills to support others and contribute to fairer outcomes in the justice system.
“As someone who wants to go into advocacy, this has been a great opportunity to build confidence and apply what I’ve learned in a real-world context. It’s strengthened my commitment to using the law to give people a voice and make a meaningful difference.
“This initiative has been genuinely transformative for me, both personally and professionally. Hearing directly from prisoners about their experiences and challenges made me realise how vital empathy and human connection are in legal practice.
“The individuals we worked with were incredibly insightful and willing to share, it gave us a rare look into life inside and made the parole process feel real rather than theoretical. That kind of perspective is something you can’t learn in a classroom.
“I’ve developed essential advocacy skills like presenting arguments clearly, thinking quickly under pressure, and listening with empathy. It’s made me even more determined to use my voice to represent and support those who need it most.”
Feedback from prisoners themselves has been really positive, with the University receiving comments such as: “I have learnt what to expect once I go for parole and I now have a better understanding, thank you”; ‘I really enjoyed having conversations that put me at ease and I benefitted from being challenged in how I put questions and answers,’ and, “I feel more relaxed about my parole board now. I have had the chance to talk about and ask questions relating to the parole board. This has been done in a comfortable, relaxed way”.
Parole has undergone some significant changes since a Government review in 2022. Parole hearings may now be heard in public and victims of crime who are part of the Victim Contact Scheme can apply to the Parole Board to attend hearings. (Those successful will be able to observe remotely so they do not have to sit with the perpetrator.)
