Parole, reduction of sentence and life after a military court verdict

What is happening

Families usually ask about parole long before the right to it arises. It arises once a set part of the sentence has been served, and the decision turns on more than the calendar: the court looks at conduct, attitude to work, penalties, compensation paid, and the view of the institution's administration.

The second half of the problem is the consequences. A verdict affects the contract, length of service, entitlement to payments and certificates, sometimes housing. Often the unit has already issued orders the man learns of last, and each must be challenged in its own way and within its own deadline.

Finally there is the conviction itself. It lapses after a set period, and in some cases can be cleared early by a court. That is no formality: employment, permits and any return to service depend on it.

What the law says

• Parole becomes possible once a set part of the sentence has been served, the proportion depending on the gravity of the offence. Reaching that point does not guarantee release: the decision is for the court.
• The court assesses conduct across the whole period served, penalties and commendations, attitude to work and study, compensation paid to the injured party, and whether there is somewhere to live and work after release.
• Besides parole, the unserved part of a sentence can be replaced with a lighter form, and release on health grounds is possible where a serious illness is confirmed by medical report.
• A refusal of parole is not final: it can be appealed, and a fresh application is allowed once the prescribed period has passed.
• A conviction lapses automatically after a set period following completion of the sentence, and before that it can be cleared by a court on impeccable conduct and payment of compensation.
• A verdict does not by itself cancel rights earned before it: some payments, statuses and certificates survive, and each has to be examined against the ground on which it was granted.

What we do

• We work out when the right to parole or to a lighter sentence arises and what has to be ready by then.
• We assemble the material for the court: records of commendations and penalties, the administration's appraisal, evidence of work, of compensation paid, and assurances of housing and employment.
• We prepare and file the application and appear at the hearing at the place where the sentence is served.
• We appeal a refusal of parole and prepare a fresh application once the period allows.
• We handle early clearing of a conviction and confirmation that a conviction has lapsed.
• We deal with the consequences of the verdict: discharge orders, calculation of length of service, payments, certificates and housing rights.

What we need from you

• A copy of the verdict and of the appeal judgment, if there was one.
• The institution's certificate of the part of the sentence served and of commendations and penalties.
• The administration's appraisal and evidence of work or study while serving the sentence.
• Evidence of compensation paid to the injured party: receipts, enforcement documents, agreements.
• Assurances for after release: details of where you will live, relatives' consent, a letter offering employment.
• Service and family documents: the contract, the calculation of length of service, unit orders, marriage and birth certificates, medical reports.