'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.