Minimum Custodial Periods upon Conviction for Murder Bill (2017)

Feb 22, 2017

                                               

Wednesday, the 22nd of February 2017 was a seminal day on the 12 year journey of AdVIC. On this day, Senator Marie Louise O’Donnell presented a Private Members Bill to the Senate entitled:

Minimum Custodial Periods upon Conviction for Murder Bill (2017)

The Bill, which is modeled on legislation already operating in England & Wales, was designed and drafted by AdVIC Director (Non-Executive) John O’Keeffe with Mr. Robert Block, Barrister. It will for the first time introduce into Irish law, the idea of minimum sentences for murderers with minimum tariff’s of 25, 30 and 40 years. Importantly, if passed, it will end the situation where political appointees on the Parole Board will continue to be the sole arbiters as to when murderers may, or may not be released.

 
The mandatory term of “life” imprisonment (or more properly described, “minimum seven year sentence”) has been an abject failure for both families of murder victims and wider society. This Bill seeks to redress that imbalance by introducing transparency, certainty and sentences of sufficient length, to reflect society’s horror at our most serious crime.
The Bill is now with our politicians. It is up to them to have the courage to act now before still other families of murder victims are once more re-victimised by the State.
To view the article written in the Irish Sun Click Here