The British Criminal Justice Act 1967, which introduced parole for those sentenced to determinate sentences, did not establish parole for those sentenced to imprisonment for life; rather it inserted the parole board into the chain of advice which the Home Secretary had to take before releasing a lifer. A number of recent court cases have revealed the disparity in the way various categories of life inmates are handled; however, the Criminal Justice Act of 1991, the most radical review of the parole system since 1967, fails to address adequately the release of those serving life sentences. Although this article avoids the wider argument for the abolition of indeterminate sentences, it suggests that even within the current sentencing structure, parole for lifers should be made significantly fairer. In particular, the same procedures should be followed for those serving mandatory life sentences for murder and those serving discretionary life sentences for other types of crime. 8 references