Recommendation 24

The use by major news outlets of the phrase “jailed for life” when they are not referring to a whole life order is an example of how media coverage risks perpetuating misunderstandings of the law on life sentences among the public. Reporting of sentencing that potentially inflates expectations of how long a person will serve in prison risks damaging public confidence. During our visit to Finland and the Netherlands, stakeholders stressed that the media’s self-restraint in commenting on sentencing contributed to a positive level positive level of cooperation between the judiciary and the media. The Government should conduct a review of the terminology used in sentencing and should consider whether the terminology used for life sentences could be made more accessible to the public.