50J. Remission order when prisoner has served 20 years of sentence

Where a prisoner has served 20 years of his or her sentence but the Commissioner is not required to make a remission order under section 50I, the Minister must review the prisoner’s case and may, in the Minister’s discretion, direct the Commissioner to make a remission order in respect of the prisoner.

Where the Minister has refused to direct the Commissioner to make a remission order in respect of a prisoner under subsection (1), the Minister must, unless the prisoner is earlier released from imprisonment, review the Minister’s decision at intervals not exceeding 12 months each and may, in the Minister’s discretion, direct the Commissioner to make a remission order in respect of the prisoner.Illustration A prisoner is sentenced to a total of 24 years’ imprisonment. The sentence is ordered to take effect from 1 January 2013. After taking into account the various periods of time mentioned in section 50I(2), the Commissioner is required to defer making a remission order until 1 January 2035. However, the Minister must review the prisoner’s case on 1 January 2033 and may direct the Commissioner to make a remission order. If the Minister does not direct the Commissioner to make a remission order, the Minister must review his or her decision no later than 1 January 2034.