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Sir David Latham will take up his role as the new chairman of the Parole Board for England and Wales this week.
 
Sir David Latham's appointment starts on 25 February and is initially for a period of one year. He succeeds Sir Duncan Nichol in this role.
 
On his appointment Sir David Latham said: "I am both honoured and delighted to be appointed to this position.  The Parole Board plays a hugely important role in protecting the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community.
 
"I am greatly looking forward to working with Parole Board members and staff alike to ensure that the Board delivers its objectives."
 
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said:
 
"I am pleased to announce Sir David as the new chairman of the Parole Board.  He brings more than 40 years of experience in the legal profession, including as a High Court and Appeal Court judge.
 
"The Parole Board has a difficult and important job of risk assessing the most dangerous offenders in the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice is committed to working with the Board to assist it in meeting its responsibilities while maintaining its independence. The overriding priority must remain the protection of the public."
 
The Parole Board has responsibility for considering cases including those of life sentence prisoners and prisoners given indeterminate sentences for public protection. They also consider whether prisoners are safe to release into the community once they have completed the minimum time they must spend in prison (their tariff).