MACMILLAN Killing Time: Life Imprisonment and Parole in Ireland

Little is known about life imprisonment and the process of releasing offenders back into the community in Ireland. Addressing this scarcity of information, Griffin’s empirical study examines the legal and policy framework surrounding life imprisonment and parole. Through an analysis of the rationales expressed by parole decision-makers in the exercise of their discretionary power of release, it is revealed that decision-makers view public protection as central to the process. However, the risk of reoffending features amidst an array of other factors that also influence parole outcomes including personal interpretations of the purposes of punishment, public opinion and the political landscape within which parole operates.  The findings of this study are employed to provide a rationale for the upward trend in time served by life sentence prisoners prior to release in recent times. With reform of parole now on the political agenda, will a more formal process of release operate to constrain the increase in time served witnessed over the last number of decades or will the upward trajectory continue unabated? Review “ Killing Time sheds light on one of the mysteries of our time: what does a life sentence mean in practice? It reveals the growing tendency to keep lifers in prison even when there is no penological justification for continuing to do so. This meticulously researched Irish case study should be replicated elsewhere. It is recommended reading for anyone interested in the form that ultimate penalties should take in a modern democracy.” (Dirk van Zyl Smit, Professor of Comparative and International Penal Law, University of Nottingham, UK) “The life sentence is the great enigma of modern penology; found almost everywhere and since the 18th century if not earlier, yet its meanings, the crimes that it punishes, even the very procedures that bound it vary widely. Diarmuid Griffin's deep analysis of the distinctive Irish life sentence is a major contribution to the global study of punishment and society.” (Professor Jonathan Simon, University of California, Berkeley, USA) “There has been little sustained empirical engagement with the institutional practices of the Irish criminal justice system. Such engagements are obviously critical in promoting and safeguarding the values of fairness, legitimacy and accountability. Killing Time should be welcomed in that context – as a fascinating and insightful attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the operation of parole in Ireland. Dr Griffin's book will be an excellent contribution to criminal justice knowledge in Ireland.” (Professor Shane Kilcommins, University of Limerick, Ireland) About the Author Diarmuid Griffin is a Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminology at the National University of Ireland, Galway.