Parole Board - The Department of Justice

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 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. Brendan Eiffe	Department of Justice
Mr. Vivian Geiran	Director, Probation Service
Mr Paul Mageean	Director, Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen’s University of Belfast
Dr. Laura Mannion	Consultant Psychiatrist
Mr. Shane McCarthy	Solicitor
Ms. Nora McGarry	Psychotherapist / Counsellor
Prof. Ian O'Donnell	Professor of Criminology, University College Dublin
Mr. Eddie Rock	Retired Assistant Commissioner, An Garda Síochána
Mr. Martin Smyth	Director of Operations, Irish Prison Service
Mr. Pat Sullivan	Retired Chief Superintendent, An Garda Síochána

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.