§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the role of his Department in relation to the length of life sentences, including any input into decisions regarding the length of tariffs(a) prior to the introduction of the 1983 changes in parole policy and (b) since then.
§ Mrs. RumboldUnder the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1967, the Secretary of State may release a life sentence prisoner only if recommended to do so by the parole board and after he has consulted the Lord Chief Justice and the trial judge if available. The period of detention served by a life sentence prisoner is, and always has been, a matter for the Secretary of State to decide.
Until 1983 the date of the first review of a life sentence case under the parole board machinery was decided in the light of advice from a joint committee of the board and the Home Office, which included two senior officials of the Department. Since then that date has been set following consultation with the trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice.