Life imprisonment in Russia

Life imprisonment in Russia was introduced on December 17, 1992, by the law 4123-I. Courts could not sentence criminals to life imprisonment at that time. Only those who had been sentenced to death penalty could have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. When the new Criminal Code of Russia was adopted in 1996, life imprisonment became a separate punishment.

Overview

Article 57 part 2 of the Criminal Code of Russia forbids women, men that were below the age of 18 at the time of the offense and men that were over the age of 65 at sentencing from being sentenced to life imprisonment. The maximum penalty for a single murder is 25 years pre ordinary crimes, or 30 years for murder with exceptional circumstances (which is for men that are aged 65 and over as well as women). If the offender was below the age of 18 at the time of the offense, the maximum sentence is 10 years' imprisonment. However, if an male offender commits more than one murder at the age of between 18 and 65, the penalty is life imprisonment.

Since 2002 changes have been made in Criminal Code of Russia. Multiple crimes with the same subject and direct object (simply - one article of Criminal Code) are counted as one crime for the sentence (counts separately for each offender), with these exceptions:

Thus, multiple life sentences are redundant, unless the offender commits a homicide.

Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment are held in maximum security prisons (e.g. VK-240/2 White Swan (prison) in Solikamsk). After 25 years or 30 years (if a male offender is aged 65 years and over), a criminal sentenced to life imprisonment may apply to a court for "conditional early release" (условно-досрочное освобождение) if the prisoner has made no serious violations of prison rules, and has not committed a serious crime during imprisonment but this can only be for a conviction involving a single murder. Parole, if granted, may carry restrictions, such as that the subject may not change residence, visit certain locations, and so forth. If the criminal commits a new offense, the court may retract the parole. If the application for parole is declined however, a new application can be filed 3 years later.

As life imprisonment was introduced in Russia in 1992 (as a pardon at death penalty replacement), if no changes in law are made, the first prisoners will become eligible for parole in 2017.

As of September 1, 2012 there were 1805 prisoners serving life sentences in Russia.[1]

Crimes punishable with life imprisonment

According to the Criminal Code of Russia, as of April 5, 2014, the crimes punishable with life imprisonment are:

Conditions

Life prisoners are taken separately from another prisoners in cells typically of 2 inmates, unless he is dangerous to others. When they are being moved outside of cells to walking cages, they must remain handcuffed. Additionally, they prohibited to lie on their beds at hours which are not their sleep times. They allowed to "walk" in special tiny courts one and half hours a day. "Courts" are very often just bigger rooms, some as seven on seven meters. Thus, inmate may spend years without being outside of the building and breathing fresh air. Mostly, those conditions are "inherited" from condition in which death row inmates awaited execution in last years of Soviet Union.

Presidential pardon

The president can pardon prisoners by reducing the minimum to and/or granting parole after 17 years.

References

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