Life imprisonment
A sentence of imprisonment for the remainder of a convict's natural life.
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment in which the convicted individual will remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life, or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term, with or without the possibility of release. Crimes punishable by life imprisonment are considered extremely serious and usually violent, including murder, torture, terrorism, genocide, and war crimes.
- Definition
- Imprisonment for the rest of natural life, with or without parole
- Countries without life imprisonment
- Portugal, Mongolia, Norway, Iceland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Andorra, Montenegro, and most Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas except Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Chihua
- Maximum sentence in Portugal
- 25 years
- Maximum sentence in Croatia
- 40 years (50 in exceptional circumstances)
Lore & Background
Life imprisonment is a punishment reserved for the most serious crimes, such as murder, terrorism, and crimes against humanity. In some countries, it is mandatory for common law murder. The sentence may include the possibility of parole after a set period, or may be without parole, meaning the prisoner will die in prison unless pardoned or granted humanitarian release.
Reader's Guide
Life imprisonment remains a contentious issue in human rights law. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that irreducible life sentences without parole violate Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment. However, the Court allows life sentences if there are guarantees of review and release. Many countries influenced by Spain or Portugal have also abolished indefinite imprisonment. Research on adolescent brain development has raised ethical questions about sentencing youth to life without parole, as impulse control and judgment regions are not fully developed.
Did You Know?
- The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that irreducible life sentences without parole violate Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a life imprisonment sentence?
It is a criminal penalty in which the convicted person remains in custody for the rest of their natural life, unless a pardon or commutation reduces it to a fixed term. Depending on the jurisdiction, the sentence may or may not include the possibility of parole.
What kinds of crimes typically carry a life sentence?
Life imprisonment is reserved for the most grave offenses, usually violent ones such as murder, torture, terrorism, genocide, and war crimes. Legal systems treat these as so severe that they warrant the harshest available custodial penalty.
Which countries do not use life imprisonment?
Portugal, Mongolia, Norway, Iceland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Andorra, Montenegro, and most Spanish-speaking nations in the Americas (with exceptions like Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Chihuahua) have abolished it. In those places, the longest custodial sentence is capped at a finite number of years.
What is the longest prison term in countries that cap sentences?
Portugal sets its ceiling at 25 years, while Croatia allows up to 40 years and 50 in exceptional circumstances. These finite caps function as the practical equivalent of what other jurisdictions call life imprisonment.
Can someone sentenced to life imprisonment ever be released?
In many jurisdictions, a life prisoner may eventually leave through parole, a pardon, or a commutation to a fixed-term sentence. However, some sentences are explicitly designated as without the possibility of release, meaning the individual stays incarcerated until death.
More in Criminal Law And Procedure 1-19
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record