A man jailed for life for murder in 1992 may begin a resocialisation programme to pave the way for his reintegration into society, judges in The Hague said on Wednesday.

Edwin Stanley Senff has been in jail for 23 years. He was sentenced to life in prison for a string of violent crimes, including the murder of a man whose house he had broken into.

Justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff is planning to offer people with a life sentence a reintegration programme after 25 years. Once the programme has been completed, officials will decide if the prisoner can be released or not.

That move follows criticism from the European Court of Human Rights, which says that life with no prospect of release is an inhumane punishment.

Senff went to court to force officials to allow him to begin reintegrating before the 25 year term was up. He argued that the programme, which takes 18 months, should begin ahead of the 25 year watershed.

Some 30 people are currently serving life sentences in Dutch jails.