Nanima, Robert2018-08-072018-08-072017Nanima, R. (2017). Barnard v Minister of Justice: the minister’s verdict. South African Crime Quarterly, 59: 19 - 26.2413-3108http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2017/v0n59a1406http://hdl.handle.net/10566/3936Granting parole to offenders serving life sentences has raised questions in public and political discourse. This contribution evaluates the discretion of the minister to decline parole under Section 78(2) of the Correctional Services Amendment Act 25 of 2008 (CSAA). It examines the drafting history of Section 78(2) of the CSAA, evaluates the full extent of the ministerial powers, and reviews its recent application in Barnard v Minister of Justice, Constitutional Development & Correctional Services and Another. It argues that ministerial discretion to refuse parole needs to be re-examined in the wake of that decision, and recommends elements for inclusion in the minister’s decision to refuse parole.enSACQ is licenced under a creative commons licence (CC BY) that allows others to distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long a they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. They may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.Life sentencesParoleCorrectional Services Amendment Act 25South AfricaArticle