Parole

Parole decisions in Ireland take around three times as long as in England and Wales, according to new figures. The Parole Board's annual report for 2023 states that the time between an initial application to the issuing of the final decision "usually takes in the region of 18 months".

Barrister Matthew Corkey and solicitor John O'Neill have been appointed as legal commissioners to the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland (PCNI). PCNI is an independent body critical to the process of deciding whether offenders who are eligible for parole are safe to be released back into the

Four new members, including a solicitor and a legal academic, have been appointed to the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland. Ciaran McQuillan and Diane Nixon have been appointed as legal commissioners, while Deepak Anand and Dr Kate Geraghty have been appointed as psychology commissioners.

Northern Ireland’s High Court has ruled in favour of an applicant who challenged his parole refusal. The court found that the parole decision failed to appropriately consider and examine license conditions on which the applicant may have been suitable for release. The applicant, a 44-year-old

The new statutory Parole Board, chaired by Mr Justice Michael White, has been formally established following the commencement of the Parole Act 2019. The legislation sets out clear and transparent criteria for how the Board will reach its decisions, which will be independent of the justice minister

High Court judge Mr Justice Michael White has been nominated as the inaugural chairperson of the statutory Parole Board, which is due to become fully operational by July.

The establishment of an independent Parole Board on a statutory footing will be completed by July this year, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said. The justice minister has set out her plan for the full commencement of the Parole Act 2019 this year, which will build on "significant work" under tak

The Parole Board will be put on an independent statutory footing by the end of next year, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said. Ms McEntee gave an update on the implementation of the Parole Act 2019 as she launched the Board's annual report for 2019.

A parole hearing is set to take place via video link for the first time in Northern Ireland. The Parole Commissioner of Northern Ireland had earlier issued guidance that all parole hearings at prisons and at Shannon Clinic would be postponed until further notice.

Six new criminal justice commissioners have been appointed to the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland. The Department of Justice announced the appointments alongside that of Paul Mageean as chief commissioner and 34 serving commissioners for a further term of office.

Life sentence prisoners in Ireland serve an average of 17-and-a-half years in custody, according to the latest figures from the Parole Board. The Parole Board reviewed 122 prisoners over the course of 2018 and recommended seven long-sentence prisoners for reviewable temporary release, according to i

The UK Supreme Court has provided a date for a parole decision appeal by prisoner Michael Stone. Mr Stone was previously convicted of killing six people in 1988 during the Troubles and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, he was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 2000.

Legislation providing for an independent, statutory Parole Board following a clear and transparent process has been approved by the Oireachtas. The Parole Bill 2016, introduced as a private member's bill by Fianna Fáil finance spokesperson Jim O'Callaghan, was supported by the Government afte