Life Releases

Life sentence releases

Legislation setting out new arrangements for the review and release of life sentence prisoners in Northern Ireland was introduced on 8 October 2001.  For further details on the Life Sentences (NI) Order 2001 click here.

Prior to this, special arrangements were put in place in 1983 for the release on licence of life sentence prisoners whereby the Secretary of State was formally advised on the release of such prisoners by the non-statutory Life Sentence Review Board.  

Prior to the introduction of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 the average sentence served by a life sentence prisoner was 15 years.

Available numbers indicate that the total number of life sentence prisoners released on life licence is believed to be 472.  (This figure includes 457 releases prior to the LSO and 15 releases under the terms of the LSO. This figure excludes 157 Sentences Act life sentence releases).