“The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the system of ‘whole life orders’, whereby in England and Wales a mandatory life sentence may be imposed and the possibility of early release denied under section 269(4) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, amounts to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in breach of article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Even prisoners given ‘whole life orders’ – a recent example was Dale Cregan – must be able to have their sentence reviewed at some stage, for instance after 25 years. They must know when sentenced what they must do to gain release, and they must know when they can ask for a review.”
Head of Legal, 9th July 2013
Source: www.headoflegal.com
