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A TOTAL OF 13 life sentence prisoners who were released early were recalled back to prison between 2001-2012.
All prisoners who are serving life imprisonment are eligible to have their cases reviewed by the Parole Board once they have served seven years in custody, however, they are still subject to stringent conditions.
Under the law, if the prisoner breaches their conditions they can be returned to prison.
In breach
The details of the condition the former prisoner breached is outlined below:
In a previous parliamentary question, Shatter stated that one life sentence prisoner was recalled in 2011 and another one in 2012.
Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to outline the figures in a parliamentary question last month. Shatter said that life sentence prisoners who are released into the community continue to serve their sentences but are on Reviewable Temporary Release under the supervision of the Probation Service.
Back into the community
He added:
Where it is reported to the Irish Prison Service that the prisoner in the community is failing to abide by the conditions of their release, that person may be refused a further period of temporary release and be taken back into custody.
The gardaí may return a prisoner to prison where they are of the view that the prisoner is in breach of their temporary release conditions, he said.
When this happens, the Governor will conduct an oral hearing into the allegation. If the Governor is satisfied, taking into account evidence presented and comments made, that a breach of temporary release conditions has occurred the prisoner should be notified accordingly. The Reviewable Temporary Release is then revoked and the prisoner is taken back into custody, Shatter said.
Answering a previous parliamentary question Shatter said that in the three years between 2010 to 2012, a total of 15 life sentence prisoners were released early.
Six prisoners were released in 2010, five in 2011, and four in 2012, while the average amount of time served in prison rose over this period, from 18 years 3 months to 22 years.
Shatter stated:
It is important to note that a life sentence is indeterminate and there is no guaranteed release date. However, it does not always mean life in prison.
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Life prisoners should be life prisoners…..
Life sentence =your carried out in a coffin…..
No parole.
No early release.
No compassionate leave.
No time off for good behaviour…
The name of the sentence would suggest that should be the case, maybe they should rename it to ‘a little spell (break/holiday/sabbatical etc) for getting caught’. We should take a closer look at the us sentencing system, rape, murder, armed robbery etc, carry some serious sentencing in serious prisons
Yes don’t call it life if you don’t mean life! Maybe LIFE sentences are handed out too easily. Call it 7 years with more for bad behaviour.
Tell it to Nelson Mandela.
Sea us .. This is not south Africa and we have jury trials
Sentencing is a joke in this country. Every prisoner can apply for parole after serving 7 years if their sentence.. When you read the headlines that someone got 4, y, 8 or 10 years, don’t forget it is automatically reduced by 1/3 for ‘good behaviour’ and if they stand a good chance if getting early temporary release ( read full release)… So a 10 year sentence is really 6 1/2 years and if your lucky probably 5 1/2 to 6.
*auto correct pain in the ***
A life sentence, get parole after 7 years??? Thats nowhere near a life sentence. Might start planning a multi million euro heist, get caught, spend an easy 7 years in jail. And when I get out, I can retire a millionaire………….this is tempting. The punishment is not really a deterant is it………..life should mean life!
Just look at Factory John. Not a chance his’ missus should be getting the dole. He and by association, they, are loaded. Crime pays. Simple.
No life sentence prisoners are released after seven years. It doesn’t happen. The parole board won’t even look at you with only seven done. I agree though life should mean life
While I agree that life doesn’t mean life and thus I’m not sure why we call it that, I point out to you that on average a prisoner facing life imprisonment in Ireland serves 15-17 years. I’ll be red thumbed to hell for this, but that’s a very, very long time. The world has changed so much by the time you get out that you’re institutionalised; you’re never really out. It costs somewhere near 70k a year to house a prisoner as far as I recall. When they get out, we’re not paying that any more, but they continue to pay a heavy price in a world that left them behind.
Go tell that bleeding heart liberal story to their’ victims…oh wait now, that’s not possible.
The people that suffered directly from their’ actions will never have the chance to pay the heavy price that comes with ultimate freedom or experience the world that they have been forced to forever leave behind.
Tell that also to the victims families who have been left behind to pick up the pieces.
Institutionalised with a chance of rehabilitation and freedom versus that opportunity being taken away from them by the murderer? I know which I’d “choose”.
I won’t red-thumb you. No need to.
Sure thing, yell away. I didn’t even disagree with you, just added some facts to the conversation as opposed to lengthy, pointless and accusatory rhetoric.
You’ve made it quite clear that my adding facts makes me despicable to you. Cheers for that. As always, open debate on The Journal brings out the very level worst in people.
Give a man a gun and he can rob and bank, give a man a bank and he can rob the country. Go big or go home!
@daithi, do you believe padraig McNally, deserved or should still be in prison,murder is not always cold blooded or premeditated.
No comment Martin.
Perhaps ask Aisling Twomey that instead? Thanks.
A comment that says “no comment”!
Should I read it or not, I don’t know what to do.
Why are people red thumbing Peter ? Anyone who wants to find out more about life sentences in Ireland can google Wikipedia .
Facts are
Since 2007 the parole board will not review a life sentence before 12 years. It normally takes numerous parole hearings over a number of years before the board will make a recommendation.
After it makes a recommendation which would be 15/16 years after incarcaration the final say is then up to the Justice Minister whether or not to release.
Aisling – http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0720/119773-barryg/
That vermin was sentenced in 2009. He was 29.
As you can see he has other crimes of rape, as well as permanently blinding an old man over nothing.
The notion that an individual such as him will be out in only 13 years at the age of 46 is nothing short of a scandal. It is plain wrong and it is simply unacceptable to expect the public to hope he doesn’t do it again.
He has never shown one shred of remorse or regret, according to prison officials.
Ireland has most lenient justice system in the EU.
In fact, in all of geographical Europe only Montenegro lets out criminals sooner than we do.
It is plain wrong. I don’t think he should be out by then. Never said so at all, in fact. Where people got the notion that I’m in favour of supreme leniency, I’m unsure.
Time to end th PC bull. Life should be life.You should serve the full sentence no matter what sentence you are given. Imagine if we had the room for prisoners. Imagine if the judges gave a damn.
If after being released on T.R./Parole for murder you then go on to breach a term or condition, then you must be a special kind of stupid surely and of less than zero use to society.
Well it’s hardly a crime spree, 13 offences in more than a decade 6 of which are listed as “Other condition and failure to be of sober habits”, whatever that means, but importantly are not new or additional offences. Most likely it means that they left the state. So there were 7 offences committed by paroled life-ers, only 2 of which seem to have been violent so I’m not sure what the problem is here. Seems like the early parole system actually does work to a certain degree.
The victims, the second one especially would like to be able question the merits of T.R. I’m sure.
I give you the case of Thomas Murray of Ballygar. The case rests M’Lord.
7 Offences which were detected.
And “”only” “2 of which seem to have been violent so I’m not sure what the problem is here”?
Oh that’s OK then! As you were with granting T.R. to murderers so! #BeGrandLike
Why doesn’t (or can’t?) the report name these prisoners, who they were convicted of murdering, when etc.?
Why should their’ anonymity be granted?
After all they’ve been convicted of murder and, once on parole, have breached their’ terms of T.R.
Added to that is that, irrespective of whether it’s right to grant them T.R. in the first place (it’s not in my opinion), once they have breached their’ terms of parole, surely parole should never even been considered ever again?
It’s a kick in the teeth to the victims and their’ families to release them on T.R. in the first place much less a second time.
I’m not sure there should be political point scoring on this one.
Prisoners are Prisoners, Criminals are Criminals, Murderers are Murderers.
Always will be irrespective of what party or parties are in Govt.
And Mick Wallace is still at liberty!
It’s a disgrace that no precedent is set for the filth roaming our streets. The leniency of the justice system shows nothing more than contempt for ordinary, law abiding people.
What is the total number of prisoners released from life sentences between 2001 and 2013?
You’re all up in arms about the 13 that were recalled, but without the numbers released in total, the figure of “13 recalled” is meaningless.
One would wonder why such a story is published without the perspective a total count affords.
Or is the Journal just trying to stir up the natives?
It,s actually between 15 yrs and 17 yrs for parole
@ Billy,
I am amazed that you have pointed out a fact and received 26 red thumbs for it. You never said you thought it was too long or too short , you never gave an opinion at all , you just pointed out a fact, and you are seriously red thumbed for it. can anyone of the 26 that red thumbed Billy please tell me why ?
Parole/temporary release if granted at all should be based on age eg 70 at earliest. At this age there’s a good chance that due to age the convict will be in no position to carry out any crimes of violencevetc and too slow to run away from shoplifting, pick pocketing etc.
We should abolish the life sentence like other countries have. People, knee jerkers and ractionaries as they are, fetishise the idea of draconian sentencing under the mistaken and unfounded belief that it will somehow reduce crime. But look at the US where it’s not uncommon to get sentence of 300 or 400 years and their prison population is the largest in the world whereas countries like Norway and Sweden with a far more enlightened approach to the penal system are seeing massive drops in crime and prison closures because there’s nobody to actually put in them.
Putting someone in jail does reduce crime it is a fact. Remember when they are inside they cannot continue to attack law abiding people.
Their are some very powerful world leaders who sanction murder everyday that will never see the inside of a prison.
If life ment life then, You would have prisons full of murderers with nothing to lose the lifers would happily kill and keep killing knowing there is no way out ever. Without the hope of one day been free they would no chance for rehabilitation.
Life should mean life
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