Some inmates currently serving long sentences at Her Majesty’s Prison could see their time behind bars dramatically decreased if the current draft of the Department of Corrections (DOC) legislation meant to transform prison management in the country is passed into law.
The bill proposes that the Advisory Committee of the Prerogative of Mercy review the case of “every inmate serving three years or more…every year subsequent to the inmate having served three years of his sentence, or at shorter periods if deemed advisable.”
A source close to the process of drafting the bill explained that the hope is that it would encourage inmates to take part in rehabilitative programs while in prison, thereby improving good behavior and lessening the chance that they would return to prison.
Changes to the way the proposed DOC would apply remission are also recommended for other inmates serving single or consecutive sentences of more than one month.
