This section shall apply to any person who is not less than 21 years of age, and who, having been previously convicted on at least one occasion since that person attained the age of 17 years of a specified offence, is convicted of another specified offence, being an offence committed after that previous conviction.

Subject to the provisions of this section, the High Court, if it is satisfied that it is expedient for the protection of the public that an offender to whom this section applies should be detained in custody for a substantial period, may pass a sentence of preventive detention.

Where any person is convicted by a District Court of any specified offence, and the court has reason to believe, from a report of a probation officer or otherwise, that the offender is liable to preventive detention, section 44 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 or (as the case may require) section 28g of the District Courts Act 1947 shall apply as if there were added to subsection (1) of that section the words ‘and a statement that the court has declined jurisdiction upon the ground that the court has reason to believe that the offender is liable to preventive detention’.

For the purposes of this section the expression ‘specified offence’ means,—

This section applies to every inmate who is subject to a sentence of imprisonment otherwise than for life in respect of a specified offence.

In this section the term ‘final release date’, in relation to any inmate to whom this section applies, means the date on which the sentence of imprisonment to which the inmate is subject would expire; and, in the case of an inmate who is subject to more than one sentence of imprisonment imposed in respect of a specified offence, means the later or latest date on which any of those sentences would expire.

If, on an application by the Secretary for Justice made in respect of an inmate to whom this section applies at any time before the date on which the inmate becomes eligible for remission of sentence, the Parole Board is satisfied that the inmate would, if released before his or her final release date, be likely to commit a specified offence before that date, the Board may order that the inmate shall not be released before his or her final release date.

A copy of any application made under subsection (3) of this section shall be given to the inmate at least 14 days before it is to be considered by the Parole Board, and the inmate shall be given an opportunity of appearing before the Board and stating his or her case in person or by counsel.

If the Parole Board makes an order under subsection (3) of this section in respect of any inmate, it shall state its reasons in writing for making the order, and shall give a copy of that statement to the inmate or his or her counsel.

Every order made under subsection (3) of this section shall be reviewed by the Parole Board at least once in every 6 months following the making of the order.

On any such review, the Parole Board may revoke the order if it is no longer satisfied that the inmate would, if released before his or her final release date, be likely to commit a specified offence before that date.

Where the Parole Board revokes the order and the inmate thereupon becomes eligible to be released on parole, the Board may,—

Where the Parole Board revokes the order after the date on which the offender would, but for the order, have become eligible for remission of sentence, the Board may direct the release of the inmate.

For the purposes of this section the expression ‘specified offence’ means,—