Set minimum terms for murder, urges think-tank

THE country’s leading legal think-tank has advised that judges be allowed powers to set minimum jail terms for offenders given a mandatory life sentence for murder.

The Law Reform Commission (LRC) has also called for a review of existing legislation which sets mandatory minimum sentences for certain drugs offences, over doubts about its ability to reduce the level of crime and deter potential offenders.

In a consultation paper to be published today, the LRC said judges in the Republic, unlike their counterparts in the North, currently have no discretion in relation to fixing sentences for people convicted of murder.