2.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter is aimed at giving and overview of the National Parole Board. In Zambia, the National Parole Board is tasked with the mandate of coordinating activities related to parole. The Board also has the duty of recommending the release of prisoners on parole to the Commissioner of Prisons. It also performs other functions related to parole that are prescribed by the Minister of Home Affairs in a statutory instrument. This is a great responsibility placed on the National Parole Board and that is why it is vital to have an overview of the Board. The aim of this chapter will be achieved by analysing the formation and legal status of the National Parole Board as well as its composition. The chapter will further analyse the…show more content… Parole serves a number of functions in the criminal justice system. The offender eligibility and conditions for parole in Zambia are contained in the Prisons (Amendment) Act and the Parole Rules. It is also important to distinguish parole from probation, suspended sentence and presidential pardon. After critically analysing parole in Zambia, the next chapter will evaluate the efficacy of parole in the Zambian criminal justice system. The aims of the following chapter will be achieved by analysing the benefits of parole in Zambia, parole statistics and factors affecting parole decisions. The chapter will also endeavour to evaluate if parole has served any significant purpose in…show more content… However, statistically speaking, more females have been granted parole because about 61 percent of female applicants have been granted parole. The same cannot be said for the male population. Only about 44 percent of the male applicants have been granted parole. Therefore, the small number of female parole beneficiaries can be attributed to the fact that less females apply for parole because few qualify for parole. It has been observed that many females serve short sentences of less than two years compared to their male counterparts, thus making them not eligible for parole in