Reforms to reduce reoffending and set minimum tariffs for life sentences will keep Cavan and Monaghan communities safer.
That's according to Senator Joe O'Reilly who was reacting to the news earlier this week that serious criminals will have to spend 20 years behind bars before they can apply for parole.
Senator O'Reilly said the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024 will allow for judicial discretion to set minimum tariffs for life sentences in very heinous cases.
He added that the sentence handed down must "match the crime'.
Senator O'Reilly says Fine Gael is 'committed' to building safer communities across the region.
"While most prisoners on life sentences serve much longer than 12 years, this reform will give victims and people in Cavan and Monaghan confidence that in the most heinous murder cases, judges will have the discretion to set a minimum sentence," he continued.
"Under the proposal, judges would have to take into account aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
"In practice, it could mean that a judge decides to impose a life sentence and stipulate that a minimum of 20, 25, or 30 years must be served."
