'Lifers' released in 2019 served average of 20 years

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she was implementing the Parole Act 2019, which will increase the length of the sentence which must be served by life-sentenced prisoners before they are eligible for parole, from 7 to 12 years. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The average jail time served by prisoners sentenced to life who were released from custody in 2019 was 20 years, up from around 18 years in 2018 and 2017, new figures show.

The shortest amount of time a ‘lifer’ released last year served was 14 years and the longest was 28 years, according to the Parole Board.

Its annual report for 2019 shows that the jail time released ‘lifers’ have served has fluctuated over the last two decades, from a low of 11 years in 2002 and a high of 22 years in 2012 and 2016.

Lifers are released on licence, meaning they can be returned to prison if they breach the conditions of the licence.

The report shows that one such prisoner was returned each year between 2009 and 2015, but this increased to four in 2016, five in 2017 and two for both 2018 and 2019.

“In 2019, the average time served in custody prior to release by a life sentence prisoner was 20 years (ranging from 14-28 years),” said the report. "This compares with 17.5 years in 2018 (range 14 to 22 years)." 

It said that of the 355 lifers in the prison system as of 30 June last, two of them were serving over 40 years, nine had been in for between 35-40 years, six were there for 30-35 years and seven were there 25-30 years.

It said that, currently, tariffs imposed outside Ireland had “no bearing” on the consideration of the Parole Board in reviewing cases.

A number of groups advocating for families of homicide victims here have called for a series of tariffs (or minimum time served) for murder and manslaughter, up to and including “whole life” tariffs.

The board reviews cases of people serving determinate (or fixed) sentences, after they have served eight years, and of ‘lifers’ and those with a 14-year sentence or higher, after seven years.

Of the 59 people who took part in the process in 2019, 33 were serving determinate sentences and 26 were lifers.

Of the determinate cases seven were sex offence cases, another seven were crimes against the person, six were manslaughter and four were aggravated burglary cases.

The Parole Board forwards its recommendations to the Minister for Justice who decides whether or not to accept them.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she was implementing the Parole Act 2019, which will increase the length of the sentence which must be served by life-sentenced prisoners before they are eligible for parole, from 7 to 12 years.

She said the act puts the Parole Board on an independent statutory footing, independent of the minister. Victims will have the right to make a formal submission to the Board, she said.