CURRENT CHALLENGES IN CONFORMING LIFE IMPRISONMENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STANDARDS

Abstract

The author analyses the legal and practical aspects of life imprisonment in the international,
the European and the Macedonian law. Thus, the author analyses the most important
international documents in regards to the treatment of life sentenced prisoners. The author
concludes that life imprisonment isn`t forbidden according to the international human rights,
furthermore is an alternative to death sentence. In many European countries, life
imprisonment has been effectively abolished. Despite it`s widely use as a punishment in
many jurisdictions, life imprisonment is still subject of controversy.
Life imprisonment means different things in different countries. Life imprisonment without
the possibility of parole is criticised as a violation of human rights.
In terms of prevention of harmful effects of life imprisonment and other long term prison
sentences, life sentenced prisoners should be offered appropriate standards. If national
systems that are subject to international and European law do not satisfy these standards in
terms of life imprisonment, they can be at risk with the ICCPR and/ or ECHR.