Prisoners with life sentences apply for parole after 7 years with “little or no therapeutic work” done

Life sentence prisoners applying for parole after seven years have often done “little or no therapeutic work”, the head of the Parole Board has said.

John Costello said that many of those prisoners have “serious psychological/mental health issues” and said, “at a minimum”, their psychological needs should be assessed in their first year in prison.

Under Irish law, so-called lifers can apply for parole after seven years have passed. All murderers are automatically sentenced to life.

Publishing the Parole Board annual report for 2014, Mr Costello said these prisoners “generally spend an average of 17 or 18 years in prison” before they receive parole.

He said the board “can never” recommend parole if there was a “fair chance” an individual may re-offend.

He said there were about 70 former life sentence prisoners who were living full-time and “crime free” back in the community.

“These individuals are proof that the parole system can operate very successfully,” he said.

Mr Costello said it was clear that there are “quite a number” of prisoners who arrive in prison mentally unwell or become unwell after imprisonment.

He said this included individuals with an intellectual disability or special needs. Mr Costello said there were at least two individuals who would have been recommended for parole, but who could not be granted it as supports did not exist in the community.

He said that psychiatrists working for the board often have “great difficulty” obtaining psychiatric records, especially from the Central Mental Hospital.

“This issue has been continuing for many years and a solution to this problem is urgently required,” he said.