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Abstract: The Criminal Justice Act 1967, which introduced parole into this country for those sentenced to determinate sentences, did not establish parole for those sentenced to imprisonment for life, but inserted the Parole Board into the chain of advice which the Home Secretary had to take before releasing a lifer. A number of recent cases have brought the discrepancies between the way different categories of life prisoners are treated to the attention of the courts, yet the Criminal Justice Act 1991, the most radical review of the parole system since 1967, fails to deal adequately with the release of those serving life sentences. This article, whilst avoiding the wider argument for the abolition of indeterminate sentences, suggests that even within the current sentencing structure, parole for lifers could be made significantly fairer. In particular, the same procedures should be followed for those serving mandatory (for murder) and discretionary life sentences.