Presentation by PROVIDUS researcher I.Kronberga in the International Conference on the Issues of Life-term Prisoners in Yerevan, Armenia, November 20-22, 2012

1. Early release phenomenon
vs. life imprisonment in
Latvia and beyond
Ilona Kronberga,
Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS

2. Why the life-sentenced
persons should be applied
for early release?
• Release is a motivation for involvement
in resocialization activities;
• Often early release for the life-convicted
persons is the only thing that could be
lost yet (especially when family and
friends have turned away from them);
• Many life-sentenced inmates are quite
young people, for example, in Latvia the
average age is about 38 years;
• The number of life-sentenced inmates in
all countries growing very quickly.

3. A number of life-sentenced inmates over the
years in Latvia

4. European countries which have
abolished an indefinite
imprisonment
A number of European countries have
abolished all forms of indefinite
imprisonment, including
Serbia, Croatia, and Spain which set the
maximum sentence at 40 years, Bosnia
and Herzegovina which sets the maximum
sentence at 45 years, and Portugal, which
sets the maximum sentence at 25 years;
Norway has abolished life imprisonment
but retains other forms of indefinite
imprisonment.

5. The fundamental aspects of
life imprisonment:
• life imprisonment is a possible
sentence, there may also be formal
mechanisms to request parole after a
certain period of imprisonment;
• The length of time and the modalities
surrounding early release vary greatly for
each country. In some places, convicts are
entitled to apply for parole relatively
early, in others - only after several
decades;
• all countries that have abolished the life
imprisonment is a very long fixed prison
terms;
• the early release issues of the life-
sentenced persons in the coming years will
be particularly iimportant.

6. The Life imprisonment in UK
An indeterminate sentence
Imprisonment for public
Mandatory life sentences Discretionary life
protection (IPP) - is aged
- Imprisonment for Life sentences -
18 or over; is convicted
(over 21), Detention Imprisonment for Life
of a serious specified
during Her Majesty's (over 21), Detention for
violent or sexual offence
Pleasure (,10 or over but Life (,10 or over but
and who in the court's
under 18 ), Custody for under 18 ), Custody for
opinion, poses a
Life (18 or over but Life (18 or over but
significant risk of harm to
under 21) under 21)
the public

7. The Life imprisonment in UK
Unlike a prisoner with a determinate
sentence who must be released at the
end of their sentence, those
sentenced to life imprisonment or
Imprisonment for Public Protection
(IPP), collectively called indeterminate
sentenced prisoner(s) (ISP), have no
automatic right to be released.
Instead, such prisoners must serve a
minimum period of imprisonment. This
punitive period is announced by the
trial judge in open court and is known
commonly as the “tariff” period.

8. The life-sentence in the
near future ...
• Individualized application of the penalty -
differentiated part of the minimum term;
• individual risk and need assessment
system throughout the penal execution
time;
• in the individual risk and need
assessment results based early release
system;
• intensive supervision of the early
released persons in society, which will be
done by probation professionals
• Quick system for returning to prison of
life-sentenced persons.

9. Ilona Kronberga
ilona@providus.lv
Phone +371 67 039259
Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS
www.providus.lv
13 Alberta
Rīga, LV-1010
Latvia