A GLASGOW-BASED production company has been given unprecedented to film a documentary for Channel 4 on the Parole Board in Scotland.

Red Sky Productions, who made Island Medics, The Family Doctors and The Art That Made Mexico for the BBC, said the film will reveal the decision-making process that determines whether someone convicted of a serious crime is safe to be released back into society.

Red Sky Productions executive producer Jane Rogerson said, “We are very grateful to be given this level of access, as it gives us the opportunity to open the door on a process that has remained secret and so is little understood.

“We want viewers to understand the responsibilities faced by parole board members weighing victim concerns against the hope that parole can offer to prisoners wishing to rebuild their lives after punishment.”

The documentary makers say they will gain first-hand insight from the prisoner preparing for their Parole Board hearing; their family anticipating the prospect of early release and a return to normal life; the social workers, prison governors, psychiatrists and police whose reports play a crucial role in the hearing and potentially the victims or their families.

A spokesman for the Parole Board for Scotland said: "The Parole Board for Scotland has agreed to participate in this project as we are supportive of moves to improve transparency and awareness in relation to the board’s work.

"We have agreed with the programme makers that our participation is on the basis that the rights and interests of all those involved in the process are respected."

Families or prisoners who want to be involved in the project can contact parole@redskyproductions.co.uk or 07917 316 640.