New legislation will give judges the chance to recommend minimum periods in prison for life sentences.
The government has approved the proposals, which would replace current laws allowing the likes of murderers to appeal for Parole after serving 12 years in prison.
It follows remarks from the judge of the Ashling Murphy murder trial, who said he would have considered imposing a whole-life sentence on her killer, Jozef Puska, if the option had been available to him.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee says punishment should match the crime that's been committed:
