A primary requirement for the Board in its assessment of whether to release a prisoner is to consider the degree of risk that the release of the prisoner would appear to present to the personal safety of a person or people in the community.

This assessment includes any likelihood of the prisoner committing an offence when subject to an early release order and the likely nature and seriousness of any such offence.

Release considerations which guide the boards decisions are found in Sections 5A(b) to (k) and 5B of the Sentence Administration Act 2003.