The Parole Board, which replaced the Sentence Review Group, was established on an administrative basis in April 2001.
Click here to see a Guide to the Parole Board
Functions
The board's principal function is to advise the Minister for Justice and Equality in relation to the administration of long-term prison sentences.
The Interim Parole Board reviews the cases of prisoners sentenced to determinate sentences of eight years or more. Prisoners serving sentences for certain offences, such as the murder of a member of the Garda Síochána or the Prison Service in the course of their duty, are excluded from the process. The board, by way of recommendation to the Minister, advises of the prisoner's progress to date, the degree to which the prisoner has engaged with the various therapeutic services and how best to proceed with the future administration of the sentence.
The final decision regarding the recommendations of the Parole Board lies with the Minister, who can accept them in their entirety, in part or reject them.
Board Members
The current members of the Parole Board are:
| Mr. John Costello | Chairman, Solicitor |
| Mr. Willie Connolly | Retired, Irish Prison Service |
| Mr. Vivian Geiran | Director, Probation Service |
| Mr. Shane McCarthy | Solicitor |
| Mr. Noel Dowling | Department of Justice and Equality |
| Ms. Nora McGarry | Psychotherapist / Counsellor |
| Dr. Laura Mannion | Consultant Psychiatrist |
| Mr. Martin Smyth | Director of Operations, Irish Prison Service |
| Mr. Eddie Rock | Retired Assistant Commissioner, An Garda Síochána |
| Prof. Ian O'Donnell | Professor of Criminology, University College Dublin |
| Mr. Pat Sullivan | Retired Chief Superintendent, An Garda Síochána |
| Mr Paul Mageean | Director, Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen’s University of Belfast |
Fees and Expenses
Chairperson:
| Fee | Expenses |
| €11,970 |
€149.75 per day for each prison visit to a maximum of €12,600 per year |
| Board members: | |
| Fee | Expenses |
| €7,695 | €149.75 per day for each prison visit to a maximum of €12,600 per annum. |
Travel and subsistence are paid in line with Civil Service rates
Publications
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2002 (PDF – 5.6MB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2003 (PDF – 1.5MB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2004 (PDF – 1.3MB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2005 (PDF – 1.6MB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2006 (PDF – 2MB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2007 (PDF – 720KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2008 (PDF - 960KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2009 (PDF - 240KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2010 (PDF - 84K)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2011 (PDF - 125KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2012 (PDF - 256KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2013 (PDF - 612KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2014 (PDF - 909 KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2015 (PDF - 613 KB)
Annual Report of the Parole Board 2016 (PDF - 720 KB)
Contact Details
The Parole Board can be contacted by post, telephone, fax or e-mail:
|
Address: |
The Parole Board 2nd Floor 6/7 Hanover Street Dublin 2. |
| Phone: |
+353 1-474-8767 |
| Fax: | + 353 1-474-8713 |
| E-mail: | info@paroleboard.gov.ie |
Further information
To learn more about the Parole Board, click here to see the Guide to the Parole Board.