The number of people serving life sentences in Irish prisons has increased substantially in recent years, such that one in nine sentenced prisoners is now serving a life sentence. Critical attention on the release of life sentence prisoners in Ireland has tended to focus on the political and informal nature of parole decision-making. Yet little is known about the experiences of those navigating the release process. This article begins to address the gap by offering a critical reflection on the parole process, focusing on the potential ‘pains’ experienced by life sentence prisoners when seeking parole. The analysis is organised into three themes that broadly fall under the umbrella of risk management: dealing with a serious criminal past, engaging with in-prison rehabilitation services, and reintegrating into society after release from custody. An analysis of this kind is timely given the growing concerns both nationally and internationally regarding the administration of life sentences and the appropriate mechanism of release.

中文翻译：

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爱尔兰无期徒刑囚犯假释的痛苦：风险、康复和重新入境

近年来，在爱尔兰监狱中服无期徒刑的人数大幅增加，九分之一的被判刑囚犯现在正在服无期徒刑。对爱尔兰释放无期徒刑囚犯的批判性注意力往往集中在假释决策的政治和非正式性质上。然而，人们对发布过程中的体验知之甚少。本文开始通过对假释过程进行批判性反思来解决这一差距，重点关注无期徒刑囚犯在寻求假释时所经历的潜在“痛苦”。该分析分为三个主题，大致属于风险管理的范畴：处理严重的犯罪历史、参与监狱康复服务以及出狱后重新融入社会。