Parole Board
The Parole Board, which replaced the Sentence Review Group, was established on an administrative basis in April 2001.
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 | Chairperson |
| Mr Gerry McDonagh | Department of Justice and Equality |
| Mr Willie Connolly | Director of Operations, Irish Prison Service |
| Mr Michael Donnellan | Director, Probation Service |
| Mr Pat Crummey | Community Representative |
| Mr Frank McCarthy | Community Representative |
| Dr Michael Mulcahy | Consultant Psychiatrist |
| Mr Eamon Nolan | Community Representative |
| Mr Tim O'Donoghue | Community Representative |
| Mr Shane McCarthy | Community Representative |
| Mr Brendan Watters | Community Representative |
| Ms Ciairín de Buis | Community Representative |
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)
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 |