The Minister for Justice is to examine reforms which would give judges the power to set a minimum number of years to be served for murder.
Helen McEntee said it would give members of the public more confidence that in the most heinous murder cases, a minimum sentence could be imposed.
The commitment is contained in Justice Plan 2022, which has been published today.
Altogether, the Justice Plan contains 159 actions to be carried out over the coming months by the department.
The average term served by life sentenced prisoners is approximately 20 years.
A life sentence in Ireland remains applicable even after release, and breach of parole conditions results in the offender returning to prison.
However, under reforms to be considered by the Minister, a trial judge could set a minimum number of years to be served in jail in cases of murder. This change was recommended in the Law Reform Commission's report in 2013.
Ms McEntee expects to conclude consideration of the reform by the summer recess and will bring forward proposals to Government in the Autumn. She will consult with the Attorney General as part of this process.
At the end of January, there were 359 people serving life sentences, 343 of those were serving a mandatory life sentence for murder.
There are currently 16 people who have served more than 30 years of a life sentence, with a number of those having been in custody for more than 40 years.
Among the actions contained in the minister's Justice Plan are commitments to introduce new specific criminal offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation, legalise the wearing of body cameras for gardaí and bring forward reforms to the appointment of judges.
