Life Imprisonment

(asked on 9th May 2018) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that prisoners released on parole from life sentences are ineligible for parole again in the event that they re-offend.


Answered by
 Portrait
Rory Stewart
This question was answered on 17th May 2018

We are improving the parole system following the Review of the law, policy and procedures relating to Parole Board decision making – which was published on 28 April. We will allow victims and others to receive summaries of Parole Board decisions; we are consulting on a mechanism to allow for decisions to be reconsidered; and will review the Parole Board rules in their entirety. This will improve the transparency and robustness of the parole process and the experience of victims.

We have no current plans to change the legislation to restrict or take away the possibility of prisoners being considered for parole where that is part of the sentence the courts have given them.

A prisoner is entitled to review by the Parole Board once they have completed the punitive part of their sentence (at tariff expiry) and at periods not exceeding two years thereafter. The Parole Board may only direct the release an offender if satisfied they do not pose a risk to the safety of the public. Whilst a prisoner might have multiple opportunities to go before the Parole Board they will only be released when the Board considers it safe to do so. Where a further offence is committed by an offender released on licence that would be a factor considered by the Board in any future parole hearing.

Any restriction on an offender’s ability to have their continued detention considered once they are only serving the preventative part of the sentence (post tariff) would be unlawful. Their detention would then become arbitrary and it would effectively apply a whole-life order to the offender – which would be disproportionate and unjustified by the sentence imposed by the court.

Reticulating Splines