Laws giving judges the power to set minimum sentences for murder and serious crime will be brought forward next year.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said her department is working on laws that would allow a judge in cases of murder, rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse to recommend that the criminal would not come before the parole board for 20 or 30 years, or even longer after being sentenced.
Currently, criminals come before the parole board after 12 years and the average time a person serves for a life sentence is 19 years.
"There is an acknowledgment that certain crimes potentially should have a higher sentence," Minister McEntee said at a Fine Gael conference in Maynooth.
"That body of work is done, I hope to bring it forward in legislation. I won't be able to do it this year, but my intention is that I will bring it forward in legislation next year," Minister McEntee said.
In his sentencing yesterday of murderer Jozef Puska, who killed 23-year-old Ashling Murphy in January 2022, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said he did not have the authority to impose a minimum period to serve and if he did, he would have considered a whole life term sentence in the case.
The minister said the time of a sentence would be up to the judge.
She said: "This is not about tying anybody’s hands, this is about making sure the person who is hearing all of the evidence, who is understanding exactly what has happened, that they would be in a position to make this recommendation to the board. I think the judge is the best person placed to do so."
Asked if she wanted to see "life meaning life" in certain circumstances, the minister said: "I think there are complexities in relation to that.
"The reason that we don’t have a full life sentence and that nobody has any chance, is that evidence shows that prison is there for reform, that we need to give people hope and an opportunity to reform, and at the same time when you have particularly heinous crimes, a stronger sentence to make sure that they don’t commit those crimes again and that communities are kept safe.
"All of the recommendations that I have are that we should not impose full life sentences, but that a judge in certain circumstances could set higher ones than we currently have."
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he had asked Minister McEntee to examine the issue of minimum life sentences for those found guilty of the most serious crimes.
Mr Varadkar also said that more prison capacity is needed "if we are genuinely serious about locking up very dangerous people" and that an extra 600 spaces will be provided over the coming years.
"It would not mean a minimum sentence in all circumstances, but it would give a judge the power to impose a minimum sentence if the judge felt it appropriate," Mr Varadkar said.
He told reporters that 600 more prison places would be created over the coming years.
"If we are genuinely serious about locking up very dangerous people – murderers, rapists, paedophiles, the heads of major criminal gangs for 20, 30, 40 years and I think that is what people want – with a rising population we are going to need more prison spaces," he said.
"I am sure it is not popular to talk about it. I am sure I will be denounced by the righteous ones and various others for even suggesting this.
"But if people want to see people locked up for a long time we are going to need more rooms in prisons."
