LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN SLOVENIA

In 2008, Slovenia introduced the punishment of life imprisonment. Since then it can be imposed for certain crimes against humanity and for the (at least two) crimes of intentional homicide. The proposal for introducing life imprisonment was founded on two arguments: the introduction of life imprisonment being necessary to harmonise Slovenian law with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and to harmonise it with the majority of European countries. In public debate, both arguments were rejected as false, while opponents of life imprisonment cited reasons against introducing it (e.g., rehabilitation as a purpose of punishment, respect for human dignity, the inefficiency of severe sentences). In the public debate, also elements of penal populism could be noticed. Although most experts opposed the introduction of life imprisonment, it was adopted in the Slovenian Criminal Code. In 2016, the Ministry of Justice at first proposed abolishing it, but the final political decision was different. A proposal to abolish the life imprisonment was withdrawn from the 2016 amendment to the Criminal Code and the Parliament did not vote on the proposal at all. Although the punishment of life imprisonment has been now a part of Slovenian law for eleven years, it has not yet been imposed.