Overview
- Explores previously unavailable empirical data accessed from members of the Parole Board, Ministers for Justice and former members of the Sentence Review Group
- Examines the dissonance between the legal situation and the reality of the situation on the ground as experienced by prisoners
- Blends theoretical, legal and sociological analysis
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About this book
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 toconstrain the increase in time served witnessed over the last number of decades or will the upward trajectory continue unabated?
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Keywords
- life imprisonment
- punitivism
- Irish politics
- capital punishment
- murder
- Parole Board
- risk assessment
- actuarial justice
- public protection
- legal interpretation
- uropean Court of Human Rights
- preventive detention
- public opinion
- independent decision-making
- reform
- prison policy
- probation
- rehabilitation psychology
- recidivism
Table of contents (7 chapters)
Reviews
“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)
“Therehas 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)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Diarmuid Griffin is a Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminology at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Killing Time
Book Subtitle: Life Imprisonment and Parole in Ireland
Authors: Diarmuid Griffin
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72667-0
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-72666-3Published: 08 March 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-10246-3Published: 01 February 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-72667-0Published: 27 February 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 251
Number of Illustrations: 3 b/w illustrations
Topics: Prison Policy, Probation, Rehabilitation, Recidivism, Crime and Society