PRESS RELEASES

Press inquiries: Don Anderson
Phone +44 28 91817930
Email: donandersonmedia@btinternet.com
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Index of releases by date.

December 2004: Talk by Donal McFerran to Prison Visitors

9 September 2002: Appointment of Life Sentence Review Commissioners

16 May 2008

The Life Sentence Review Commissioners renamed the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland

The Life Sentence Review Commissioners (LSRC) have been renamed the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland. The LSRC Chairman, Peter Smith QC, has become the Chief Commissioner.

Article 49(1) of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 renames the Life Sentence Review Commissioners as Parole Commissioners to reflect the broadening of their functions under the new public protection sentencing arrangements. This is necessary now because the Parole Commissioners are an integral part of new sentencing arrangements.

The Chairman and Commissioners remain as before.  In practice, the terms under which the Commissioners were appointed will not change and they will not be required to deal with any cases under the new arrangements for some months. This will allow them to develop appropriate processes and mechanisms in good time before new cases begin to emerge out of the system.

Under the 2008 legislation the Commissioners will be required to decide:

) whether it is safe to release on licence persons sentenced to indeterminate custodial sentences after the period of their court imposed imprisonment has expired, once released whether they should be recalled and after recall whether they should again be released on licence;

(2) whether persons sentenced to extended custodial sentences should be released on licence once they have served half of the custodial part of their sentence, whether once released such persons should be recalled and, if recalled, whether they should again be released; and

(3) whether persons given other fixed term sentences and released on licence should be recalled to prison.

Background:

The superseded LSRC formed an independent body of Commissioners appointed by the Secretary of State under the provisions of the Life Sentences (Northern Ireland) Order 2001 and were first constituted in September 2002. Their work has its origins in the Criminal Justice Review which recommended that an independent body of judicial character be set up to assess the suitability for release of life sentence prisoners.

9 September 2002

APPOINTMENT OF LIFE SENTENCE REVIEW COMMISSIONERS

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Dr John Reid, today announced the appointment of 25 Life Sentence Review Commissioners. The appointments are effective from 9 September 2002 for a period of five years. Commissioners will primarily be responsible for assessing life sentence prisoners and considering them for release once the minimum period set by the Court (the tariff) has expired. They will also be involved in examining the cases of prisoners recalled to custody and in making recommendations on issues of prisoner management and rehabilitation.

Commenting on the appointments Dr Reid said:

"I am pleased to be able to announce the appointment of 25 Life Sentence Review Commissioners who take up their appointments on 9 September. The Commissioners come from both professional and lay backgrounds and bring with them the necessary expertise, skills and experience to effectively carry out their responsibilities in assessing life sentence prisoners for release at the appropriate time."

The Secretary of State added:

"In carrying out their statutory functions, independently of Government, the Commissioners will be determining the point at which it is no longer necessary that a life sentence prisoner be detained in custody to protect the public from serious harm. In so doing, they will undertake an important role in affording proper protection to the community to which they will return."

NOTE TO EDITORS

1. The Life Sentence Review Commissioners are appointed under the provisions of Article 3(1) of the Life Sentences (NI) Order 2001 (" the Order") which came into effect on 8 October 2001. The key provision of the order has been the introduction of a new tariff system for all life sentence prisoners which represents the minimum period which a prisoner must serve before being considered for release by a body of independent Life Sentence Review Commissioners.

2. The Order requires, where practicable, that the Commissioners include individuals with specific professional qualifications or experience in the legal, medical, criminological and rehabilitative fields. Appointments have also been made from those with a lay background to provide an important community based dimension.

3. The Life Sentence Review Commissioners are part-time judicial office holders appointed by the Secretary of State but working independently of Government. Appointments are made for periods of five years (subject to attaining the upper age limit of 70 years) and Commissioners may not be removed from office, or prevented from taking a second term of office, without consultation with the Lord Chief Justice.

4. The Secretary of State has appointed a Chairman from amongst the Commissioners - Mr. Peter Smith QC. The Commissioners will be supported by a team of administrative staff and will occupy offices on the 5th Floor, Windsor House, Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 5SR. Tel 02890 524912. The Commissioners' website is www.lsrcni.org.uk.

DETAILS OF THE TWENTY-FIVE APPOINTMENTS

Chairman

Mr. Peter Smith QC is an eminent barrister with over 30 years experience at the Bar in Northern Ireland. He was appointed as a Deputy Judge in the High Court of Northern Ireland in 2002 and has been a Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey & Guernsey since 1996. Between 1998-1999 he was a member of the Independent Commission on Policing.

Commissioners from a Legal Background

Ms Teresa Doherty, a self employed barrister, is a member of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Appointment of JP's and a part-time Chairman of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She has previously held the positions of Principal Magistrate and National Supreme Court Judge for the Judicial and Legal Commission of Papua New Guinea.

Mrs. Anne Fenton, a solicitor, is Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen's University, Belfast. She is a part-time Chairman of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and has previously held appointments as part-time Chairman to both the Child Support and Disability Appeal Tribunals.

Mr Brian Garrett is a self employed legal consultant and Deputy County Court Judge. He is Chairman of the Northern Ireland Teachers Salary and Conditions of Service Committee and a Chairman of the Social Security Appeals Tribunals. He has previously held appointments as Deputy Chairman for the Northern Ireland Independent Commission for Police Complaints and was a member of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights.

Mr John Leckey is HM Coroner for Greater Belfast. He previously served for a period of 5 years as a Commissioner of the Criminal Cases Review Commission investigating alleged miscarriages of justice.

Mr Donal McFerran is a solicitor and Deputy County Court Judge. He is a legal member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal, holds a number of other General Medical Council appointments and is Secretary to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. He is also a Sentence Review Commissioner.

Ms Clodach McGrory is a self employed barrister who holds appointments as a Sentence Review Commissioner and legal member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She is also a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission.

Mr Derek Rodgers has been a County Court Judge since 1997 and previously served as a District Judge for a period of 8 years. He is a member of the Legal Advisory Committee of the Church of Ireland and holds positions with a number of voluntary organisations

Commissioners from a Psychiatry & Psychology Background

Dr Ruth Elliott is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who is Secretary of the Northern Ireland Division of Clinical Psychology and was a member of the Mental Health Commission for seven years, latterly serving as Vice-Chairman. Until recently she held the position of Consultant Psychology Service Manager at Belfast City Hospital.

Dr Ronald Galloway was a Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director & Executive Board Member of the Craigavon & Banbridge Community HPSS Trust prior to his retirement in 1998. He is presently Chairman of the Cases Scrutiny Committee for the Southern Health and Social Services Board. He has been a member of the Mental Health Commission since 1994 and was recently appointed as a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel.

Dr Adrian Grounds is a Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry at the Institute of Criminology and Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at Addenbrookes Hospital NHS Trust. He is also a Sentence Review Commissioner.

Professor Peter Hepper , Professor and Head of School of Psychology at Queen's University Belfast. He also serves as a non-executive Director of the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust.

Dr Damien McCullagh is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with Armagh & Dungannon Health & Social Care Trust and was previously a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

Dr Oliver Shanks was until recently a Consultant Psychiatrist with the North & West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust. He has been a medical member of the Mental Health Commission since 1996 and is an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Mental Health at Queen's University, Belfast. He is currently a member of both the Board of EXTERN and PRAXIS.

Commissioners from a Criminological Background

Professor John Jackson is Director of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Professor of Law at Queen's University, Belfast. From 1998-2000 he was an Independent Assessor for the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Review.

Professor Andrew Sanders is Professor of Criminal Law & Criminology at the University of Manchester having previously held the post of Deputy Director of the Centre for Criminological Research at the University of Oxford. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and was until recently a member of the Parole Board for England & Wales.

Mr. Nigel Stone is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Psychosocial Studies at the University of East Anglia. He previously served in the Probation Service in England & Wales for a period of 24 years holding a joint appointment as Probation Officer and Head of the Home Office sponsored training programme for probation students at East Anglia. He was appointed as a member of the Parole Board for England & Wales in 1997.

Commissioners from a Rehabilitative Background

Mrs Mary Gilpin is a former member of the Scottish Probation Service and a retired social worker who is currently an executive Member of the Management Committee for NIACRO and Chairman of Dismas House. She is a Sentence Review Commissioner and was formerly a member of the Board of Visitors for HM Prison Maze from 1985 to 1997.

Mr. Stephen Murphy is a career probation officer and is currently Chief Officer with the National Probation Directorate for the Northumbria Probation Area and has been a member of the Parole Board for England & Wales since 1995.

Mrs Elaine Peel is a former Assistant Chief Probation Officer with the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and in that capacity acted as Chairman of the Criminal Justice sub-committee on Domestic Violence & Director of the National Community Justice Training Organisation.

Commissioners from Other Backgrounds

Mr Thomas Craig is a retired Assistant Chief Constable with over 35 years policing experience in Northern Ireland.

Dr Duncan Morrow was recently appointed as Chief Executive of the Community Relations and was previously a lecturer in politics at the University of Ulster. He is also a Sentence Review Commissioner.

Dr Patrick McGrath is a recently retired General Practitioner who continues to work as an independent forensic physician to the Policing Board for Northern Ireland. He has a number of General Medical Council appointments and is also a member of both the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel.

Mrs Elsbeth Rea is a self employed consultant providing independent social work research services and training to social work organisations having formerly worked as both a Senior Probation Officer with the Probation Board for NI and as a Lecturer in Social Work at Queen's University, Belfast. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust and formerly held appointments with both the Police Authority for Northern Ireland and the Eastern Health & Social Services Council.

Professor Herbert Wallace is a legal academic and former Dean of the Faculty of Law at Queen's University, Belfast. He was formerly Chief Executive and Secretary to the Police Authority for Northern Ireland and has recently been appointed as a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel.