Life Sentences (Northern Ireland) Order 2001

Life Sentence Review Commissioners

3.—(1) The Secretary of State shall appoint Life Sentence Review Commissioners.

(2) The Secretary of State shall so far as reasonably practicable ensure that at any time—

(a) at least one of the Commissioners is a person who holds or has held judicial office in any part of the United Kingdom or who is—

(i) a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland of at least ten years' standing; or

(ii) an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of at least ten years' standing; or

(iii) a person who has a ten year general qualification within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990(1);

(b) at least one is a registered medical practitioner who is a psychiatrist;

(c) at least one is a chartered psychologist;

(d) at least one is a person appearing to the Secretary of State to have knowledge and experience of the supervision or aftercare of discharged prisoners; and

(e) at least one is a person appearing to the Secretary of State to have made a study of the causes of delinquency or the treatment of offenders.

(3) The Commissioners shall—

(a) advise the Secretary of State with respect to any matter referred to them by him which is connected with the release or recall of life prisoners; and

(b) have the functions conferred by Part III.

(4) In discharging any functions under this Order the Commissioners shall—

(a) have due regard to the need to protect the public from serious harm from life prisoners; and

(b) have regard to the desirability of—

(i) preventing the commission of life prisoners of further offences; and

(ii) securing the rehabilitation of life prisoners.

(5) Schedule 1 (which makes further provision about the Commissioners) shall have effect.

(6) In paragraph (2)—

“chartered psychologist” means a person for the time being listed in the British Psychological Society’s Register of Chartered Psychologists;

“registered medical practitioner” means a fully registered person within the meaning of the Medical Act 1983(2).

(1)

1990 c. 41.

(2)

1983 c. 54.