LIFE IMPRISONMENT - Notes from a European Survey
01 January 1991
LIFE IMPRISONMENT - Notes from a European Survey
bacdoc August=1991
Covers - Austria, Denmark, England & Wales, West Germany, Finland, Iceland,
Ireland (North & South), Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Compiled in 1989
AUSTRIA
Information provided by Arno Pilgram, Institut fur Rechts und
Kriminalsoziologie, Museum Strasse 12, Postfach 1, A - 1016 WIEN,
Austria.
Average Daily Prison Population,
1985: 8112 men, 351 women, total - 8463, of whom: 8338 adults and 125 youths.
1986: 8442
1987: 7856
Actual Population, 30 November, 1985
Men Women Total
Adults 8431 364 8795
Youths 132 8 140
Total 8563 372 8935
Life Sentence Prisoners
1982 - 131
1983 - 130
1984 - 135
1985 - 134 (1 woman)
Other indeterminate sentencing
Reserved for so-called mentally abnormal law breakers. In 1985 the average
population of such prisoners was 359.
Release from life sentence
Not earlier than fifteen years into sentence, a prisoner can be released
on parole after a hearing in a special court.
Release from other indeterminate sentences
Again, release is on parole as a result of a sitting of the special court.
Release can occur before fifteen years of the sentence are completed, but
in any case can only be on the judgment of the court that the prisoner is
now psychiatrically fit for release.
Time spent in prison for life or other indeterminate sentence
Of the 134 lifers in 1985:
33 (all male) had served less than five years
27 (one female) had served 5 to 10 years
32 (all male) had served 10 to 15 years
42 (all male) had served 16 to 30 years.
In the same year 6 lifers (4 men and 2 women) had been released on
parole having served between 16 and 30 years each.
[See also: Die Praxis der Lebslangen Strafe in Osterreich, Institut fur
rechts
und kriminalsoziologie, Wien, 1989.]
DENMARK
Information provided by Britta Kyvsgaard, Kriminalistisk Institut,
Kobenhavns Universitet, Sankt Peders Straede 19, DK - 1453 Kobenhavn K,
Denmark. Thanks also to Ida Koch.
Prison population
Men: 3,274
Women: 134
Total: 3,408
Life-sentence prisoners
Approximately 35, all men.
Sentences to life
1979 - 3 1983 - 0
1980 - 1 1984 - 1
1981 - 0 1985 - 2
1982 - 3
Other indeterminate sentencing
"Forvaring", based on 1973 legislation, classifies certain offences as
particularly "dangerous", for example, robbery, homicide, rape, kidnapping,
serious violence. Such offences carry an indeterminate sentence, served in
prison or a mental institution.
Numbers serving 1986 - 8, all men.
Release from life sentence
Release results from royal pardon, on the basis of advice from the prison
authorities, sentencing court, prosecutor and police. No later than 10 to
12 years after imprisonment, pardon must be considered.
Between 1975 and 1985, 13 pardons were given.
Release from "Forvaring"
Release results from a court case on the basis of a request by the prisoner,
prison director, prosecutor or "supervisor" (each "forvaring" prisoner has a
supervisor).
Time spent in prison for life or other indeterminate sentence
Average life sentence is 12.5 years.
Shortest life sentence 9.5 years.
Longest, 19.5 years,
plus one person is still in prison since 1965; he killed four
policemen.
Political prisoners
None
Conclusion of S.V. Gram Jensen (Life Imprisonment in Denmark in S.G.
Jensen et al Criminografie (ver) Tekenen Met Cijfers, Leuven 1974: 20-33)
"In my mind, the administration of justice today bears a remarkable
resemblance to the administration of justice in<