Life Imprisonment in Asia

Life imprisonment is the punishment most often imposed worldwide for what societies regard as the most serious offences. Yet, in Asia the phenomenon has never been studied systematically. Life Imprisonment in Asia fills this major gap. It brings together thirteen new essays on life imprisonment in key jurisdictions in the region. Each chapter consolidates what is known about the law and practice of life imprisonment in the jurisdiction and then explores aspects of the imposition or implementation of life sentences that the authors regard as particularly problematic. In some instances, the main issue is the imposition of life sentences by the courts and their relationship to the death penalty. In others, the focus is on the treatment of life sentenced prisoners. In many instances, the most prominent question is whether life sentenced prisoners should be released and, if so, according to what processes. In the overview chapter, the editors place the complex picture that emerges of life imprisonment in Asia in a global context and point to reforms urgently required to ensure that Asian life sentences meet international human rights standards. Life Imprisonment in Asia should be read by everyone who has an interest in just punishments for serious offences, not only in Asia, but throughout the world. It will be an invaluable tool for lawyers, criminologists, policy makers and penal reform advocates in the region and beyond. Dirk van Zyl Smit is Emeritus Professor of Comparative and International Penal Law, University of Nottingham and Emeritus Professor of Criminology, University of Cape Town. Catherine Appleton is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research and Education in Security, Prisons and Forensic Psychiatry, St Olav’s Hospital and at the Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. Vucong Giao is Head of the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law and Director of the Research Center for Human and Citizen’s Rights under School of Law, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-LS).