Life Sentenced Prisoners
Life Sentenced Prisoners
We have been specialising exclusively in the English Life Sentence probably longer than any other practice in the country.
In 2000, we looked at what we could do realistically for our clients who are in prison given the fact we are a small practice with limited resources to commit to our cases.
The decision we arrived at was that we could not specialise in the entire range of the very real problems faced by the general prison population. We could not even guarantee the very high standards of service we set ourselves then if we were to take determinate sentence clients, for example.
We therefore decided to specialise in life sentenced prisoners approaching their reviews of ongoing detention before the Parole Board.
Today, we are privileged to have an exclusive client base of life sentenced prisoners and an impressive release rate following advocacy either from within our own practice where John Atkins is our lead solicitor-advocate, or from our very select (and small) number of Atkins Law approved Counsel.
Of course, our prison law team are well trained and experienced in the whole range of prison law issues. We apply that knowledge however as it will affect any clients who are facing the Parole Board either either on paper or in an oral hearing. They will deal with those issues as the case progresses.
We strongly urge prospective clients to contact us a year before their cases are due to be heard by the Parole Board; otherwise, as soon as possible within the twelve months is essential. That is irrespective of whether they are mandatory, discretionary, s2 (strike out), or IPP/DPP clients. The sooner we get to grips with our client’s case, the more successful an application to the Parole Board is likely to be.
We have extended our services to include ESP prisoners’ on recall where they will face all the rigours of an oral Panel before the Parole Board. Success in this area has also been notable.
This is a very complex area of law and needs specialist representation. Shop around before selecting a solicitor and check their experience and expertise. Ask any questions you have and be sure to call back if there is anything you need to clarify before telling a friend or loved one in prison to contact them.
