Call to rethink tougher parole plans

The head of the Parole Board has said draft legislation increasing the minimum length of time from seven to 12 years before which an inmate can be considered for release needs to be revisited.

Call to rethink tougher parole plans

Chairman John Costello said the current threshold “encourages” inmates to start, or to continue, with rehabilitation before reaching seven years in prison.

He said the board would submit amendments to the Parole Bill 2016 during its final stages in the Dáil.

The current system has been criticised by families of homicide victims and led to draft legislation being published last June by Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan.

“Having the first review after seven years has been useful in the past, because it encouraged a prisoner to start or continue with serious rehabilitation work before this review,” said Mr Costello in the foreword to the Parole Board annual report 2016.

He said that in 2013 a prisoner was granted parole after 13-and-a-half years in prison, following a number of previous parole hearings.

“This was an exceptional case but parole after 13 years would not have been possible if his first review was only held after 12 years in prison. I believe this period of 12 years should be reexamined,” said Mr Costello.

He said some recommendations of the board were accepted at committee stage and said that the board would be submitting “further amendments for discussion” at the fourth stage of the Bill in the Dáil.

He said that between 2009 and 2013 the number of life sentence prisoners granted parole was about five per year on average, rising to six in 2015 and seven in 2016.

“Unfortunately four of the seven prisoners granted parole in 2016 were recalled to prison for breach of licence conditions, mainly for abuse of alcohol/drugs,” he said.

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