The North's criminal justice minister, David Hanson, has announced plans to end automatic 50 per cent remission for all offenders in Northern Ireland, a system which has operated for 30 years.
Mr Hanson said in the House of Commons yesterday that 50 per cent remission would cease and a new parole board system would be created.
Those committing the most serious crimes could be detained indefinitely in prison, he said. "Having consulted extensively and listened to the views and concerns of the public in relation to sentencing, I have decided to introduce measures which will in future end the practice of 50 per cent automatic remission for all offenders."
He made his announcement following Monday's report from the chief inspector of criminal justice, Kit Chivers, which recommended that all dangerous offenders in Northern Ireland should be barred from getting automatic 50 per cent remission. The report was prompted by the murder of 65-year-old Strabane woman Attracta Harron, who was killed by a paroled rapist.
Meanwhile, PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde said a new generation of republican and loyalist community workers free from any connection with paramilitarism should get involved in community restorative justice schemes.
All community restorative justice schemes must involve the police and must be embedded in the criminal justice system, Sir Hugh told the House of Commons Northern Ireland affairs committee, which met in Belfast over yesterday and Monday.
Community restorative justice systems operate in some republican and loyalist areas and are designed to bring perpetrators of anti-social behaviour or minor crime face-to-face with their victims to seek a local resolution of these matters, without reference to the courts.
There are four loyalist and 15 republican schemes - privately funded - and while there is loyalist co-operation with the PSNI, the republican schemes do not involve the police.
Sinn Féin and loyalist politicians have defended community restorative schemes against criticism by the SDLP and unionist politicians that they are a paramilitary alternative to policing and the courts.
In response to claims of paramilitary involvement in the schemes, Sir Hugh told the Northern Ireland affairs committee chairman, Sir Patrick Cormack, yesterday that establishing who was suitable to run them was "difficult territory".
"Do I believe people can change? Yes I do. But I also believe in both communities that there are sufficient people who do not fall under this criteria [ paramilitary convictions] who could do the job," he said. People without convictions should be put forward to work in these schemes "and let the next generation take over", he added.
Sir Hugh and assistant chief constable Drew Harris said these schemes were important in keeping people - particularly young people - away from the criminal justice system and free of criminal convictions. Strict protocols were necessary to ensure they worked properly.
He warned, however, that the systems should not become over-legalistic or bureaucratic. It was important that they were flexible and that cases were dealt with speedily.
He said all schemes must accept the need for police involvement. "All I ask is to be judged on what my officers do today, not a quarter of a century ago."
