Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 21 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 8

Written Answers. - Murder Sentence Data.

Dan Wallace

Ceist:

16 Mr. D. Wallace asked the Minister for Justice the total number of prisoners convicted of murder who were released from prison during 1995; the ten cases with the shortest periods served for their crime; and the sentence imposed in each of these cases. [3925/96]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Owen)

The sentence for murder is the mandatory one of life imprisonment. A total of nine offenders, serving life sentences for murder, were given some form of release under probation and welfare service supervision during 1995. All of these releases were approved by me on the basis of formal examinations of their cases and positive recommendations from the sentence review group.

Of the nine prisoners in question, three were released having been re-committed from earlier releases on one or more occasions. All three prisoners had spent periods in excess of 11 years in custody.

In respect of the remaining six offenders released, the following are the periods served in custody, in descending order: 13 years, 11 years, ten years six months, ten years two months, nine years three months and nine years three months.