About the parole board
The parole board is an independent statutory body that makes decisions about a prisoner’s release into the community under supervision.
We decide prisoners’ applications for release into the community on parole, and amend, suspend or cancel parole orders for prisoners who have been released to parole.
Our highest priority in making parole decisions is the safety of the community.
Parole orders
There are 2 types of parole in Queensland:
- Court-ordered parole
- Board-ordered parole
Court-ordered parole
Prisoners sentenced to a period of imprisonment of 3 years or less have a parole release date fixed by the court.
This does not include people who committed sexual offences or serious violent offenders.
Board-ordered parole
Prisoners sentenced to a period of imprisonment with a parole eligibility date must apply to the parole board for release on a parole order.
A prisoner cannot apply for parole if:
- there are more than 180 days before the parole eligibility date set by the court
- the date specified by the board when they can reapply has not been reached
- they have lodged an appeal with the court against their conviction or sentence.
A prisoner cannot be released on a parole order until they have reached the parole eligibility date, except if granted an exceptional circumstances parole order.
Exceptional circumstances parole
A prisoner can apply at any time for exceptional circumstances parole. If it is granted, they can be released from custody before their parole eligibility date.
Parole order conditions
A parole order must include standard conditions, such as the prisoner must:
- carry out lawful instructions
- not commit an offence
- provide test samples
- report as required by Queensland Corrective Services.
We may also add conditions reasonably considered necessary to ensure the prisoner’s good conduct or to the stop the prisoner committing an offence.
Parole Board Queensland
Established based on key recommendations of the Queensland Parole System Review (Sofronoff Review), the Parole Board Queensland replaced the 3 previous parole boards.
We are responsible for all decision-making about parole applications, amendments, suspensions and cancellations in Queensland.
More information
Learn more about:
- the Parole Board Queensland
- parole in Chapter 5 of the Corrective Services Act 2006.