Recommendation 10

While the ECtHR has concluded that whole life orders for offenders aged 21 and over do not violate Article 3 ECHR, we are concerned about the implications of extending these sentences to offenders aged 18 to 20. The courts and the Justice Committee have accepted that turning 18 is not a cliff-edge. Young offenders aged between 18 and 20 are still maturing and have significant potential to change. Extending to this age group a sentence that makes the prospect of ever being released vanishingly unlikely comes perilously close to the Article 3 threshold. It also runs counter to positive recent recognition of the need to treat young adult offenders as a category distinct from older offenders. The minimum age for imposing a whole life order, even in exceptional circumstances, should not be dropped below 21. (Paragraph 82) Incorporation of the UNCRC