The life sentenced prisoner to whom the Deputy refers, Mr. Thomas Murray, was convicted in the Central Criminal Court last week, on 5 December 2000, of the murder of Mrs. Nancy Nolan, a retired school teacher, on or about 14 February 2000. I share the horror of all right thinking people at this murder and I join all those who have extended their sympathy to the family of the victim in their tragic loss. I readily acknowledge the public's concern that the offender was on temporary release from prison at the time he committed the murder.
There are long-established procedures in place in relation to the administration and eventual release of life and long-term sentenced prisoners. The current procedures have been followed by successive Administrations since 1989.
In most cases, including this one, a person serving a life or long-term sentence may have the sentence reviewed by the sentence review group, SRG. The SRG, which functions on the same general lines as parole boards in other jurisdictions, is a non-statutory body established in 1989 to advise Ministers in relation to the administration of long-term prison sentences. It includes persons with long experience of working with ex-prisoners and their families. The SRG reviews the cases of individual offenders who have served seven years or more of a current sentence including life sentences but excluding offenders serving sentences for capital murder. Following review, the SRG makes recommendations to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform advising of an offender's progress to date, the degree to which that offender has engaged with the various therapeutic services available, and how best to proceed with the future administration of that offender's sentence.
The criteria applied in reviewing the cases of life sentence prisoners includes the following assessment of potential risk to the public; the seriousness of the offence committed; behaviour while in prison; the views of the Garda Síochána; compassionate grounds; and recommendations by the sentence review group. The process leading up to recommendations made to the Minister involves consultation with various individuals and agencies who are best placed to make an assessment as to the individual's readiness or otherwise for temporary release but the overriding concern, when decisions are being made in individual cases, is the safety of the public.