I FELT the need to write in and reassure Philip Pearce-Smith regarding life sentences, (Strong case for DNA database?, letters 21/03/09).

Murderers in the U.K are not sentenced to 12 years and released after six. Murder carries an automatic life sentence, 99 years. The offender is then given a tariff, which is the minimum that individual has to serve before they are considered for parole. Often that is around 12 years though the prisoner must convince many people he is rehabilitated. Of course sometimes mistakes are made, but it's rare for a lifer to kill again upon release. Also because of the high number of lifers in the prison system the amount of time they serve is rising. It is easy to see how the misinformed such as Mr. Pearce-Smith can become confused, fixed sentence prisoners often only serve only half of their sentence. Maybe The Echo could run some articles to reassure those like Mr Pearce-Smith that those imprisoned aren’t released earlier than in the past. I hope this allows Mr. Pearce-Smith to sleep better at night.

CRAIG MORRISON, Southampton.