Parole Board of Ireland

Rules

Prisoners not eligible for review by the Parole Board

Prisoners guilty of the following offences are not (as a general principle) eligible for review by the Parole Board:

• Murder or attempted murder committed within Ireland for a political motive, of the head of a foreign country, or of a member of the Government, or a diplomat from another country;
• Murder of a member of An Garda Síochána or the Irish Prison Service in the course of his or her duty (Section 3 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1990);
• Murder or attempted murder as set out in Section 6 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939 or Section 18 of that Act.

In making its recommendations, the Parole Board of Ireland considers a number of factors, which include:

• whether the prisoner's release would constitute a threat to the community;
• whether it is reasonable to grant early/temporary release in view of the nature and circumstances of the offence committed;
• whether the offender warrants release, taking into account his or her behaviour in custody;
• whether there are there any compelling compassionate grounds which merit special consideration
• whether the offender has engaged constructively with the prison-based therapeutic services to combat his/her offending behaviour.

The final decision regarding the recommendations of the Parole Board lies with the Minister for Justice and Equality. The Minister can choose to accept the Board's recommendations in their entirety, accept them in part or reject them.

In deciding on the release of a prisoner with a life sentence, the Minister will always consider the advice and recommendations of the Parole Board. The Board, at present, initially reviews prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment at the seven-year stage of their sentence.

Prisoners serving very long sentences, including life sentences, are normally reviewed on a number of occasions over a number of years before any substantial concessions would be recommended by the Board. The final decision as to whether a prisoner with a life sentence should be released rests with the Minister for Justice and Equality.