Currently, there is no life imprisonment in Croatia.[1][2] The Criminal Code prescribes long-time imprisonment - 20 to 50 years - for the most severe criminal offenses.[2][3] The maximum sentence for a single count is 40 years, while the maximum cumulative sentence is 50 years, even if the sum of sentences for each convicted count exceeds 50 years.[3][4]

Life imprisonment was introduced in July 2003 but was abolished in 2004 after the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia ruled that the law had been changed without the required two-thirds supermajority in the Croatian Parliament.[5] A subsequent attempt to reintroduce life imprisonment was defeated in the parliamentary procedure.[5]

Some Croatian politicians and law experts still support the introduction of life imprisonment.[6][7] The opponents argue that long-time imprisonment is a sufficient deterrent and that for many convicted criminals it is essentially equivalent to life imprisonment.[5] As of October 2012, 14 people were sentenced to the then-maximum term of 40 years.[8]

References

  1. ^ Kazneni zakon, 2011, IV. Kazne, article 40. Vrste kazni
  2. ^ a b Kovčo Vukadin, Irma; Žakman-Ban, Vladimira; Jandrić-Nišević, Anita (2010). "Prisoner Rehabilitation in Croatia" (PDF). Varstvoslovje, Journal of Criminal Justice and Security. Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor. 12 (2): 143–162. ISSN 1580-0253. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  3. ^ a b Kazneni zakon, 2011, IV. Kazne, article 46. Kazna dugotrajnog zatvora
  4. ^ "Psiho je ubio troje ljudi, a iz Lepoglave bi trebao izaći tek 2048". Večernji list (in Croatian). 22 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Dražić, Milena (7 May 2009). "'Mi smo uveli doživotnu kaznu, a HDZ je ukinuo'". dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  6. ^ Marković, Ivica (23 May 2009). "Marija Definis-Gojanović: Naše su ćelije mučne za doživotne robijaše". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Treba li Hrvatska uvesti doživotni zatvor?". Index.hr (in Croatian). 15 June 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Oni su u klubu 40: Do sada izrečeno 14 maksimalnih kazni". Večernji list (in Croatian). 19 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.

Sources

Further reading

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