In December 1989 a non-statutory body called the Sentence Review Group was set up. This group has the task of advising the Minister for Justice on the administration of long term prison sentences including life sentences (but excluding the case of offenders serving sentences for capital murder). Any offender who has served more than seven years of a current sentence may have his case considered by the group.
The group review individual cases by reference to well-established criteria including assessment of whether a release would constitute a threat to the community and whether it would be reasonable to grant a release at a particular stage in view of the crime committed, the offender's previous criminal record and any compassionate grounds which warrant special consideration.