Minbyun "Oppose Life Imprisonment Without Parole... Violates Human Dignity"

"Severe Punishments Do Not Reduce Serious Crimes"
Joint Statement by 10 Civil Society Organizations Including Minbyun

On the 21st, ten civic groups, including the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), issued a joint statement opposing the 'life sentence without parole system' recently announced for legislative notice by the Ministry of Justice.

They stated that the life sentence without parole system "violates the constitutional value of human dignity and is a penal system that cannot be justified from a criminal policy perspective," urging the immediate withdrawal of the legislative notice.

They further explained that "prisoners sentenced to life without parole are detained isolated from society for life, thereby deprived of any opportunity to regain physical freedom," highlighting why the system infringes on human dignity.

They also argued that there is no clear evidence that life sentences without parole prevent serious crimes, stating, "Various statistics confirm that even with severe punishment, serious crimes do not decrease."

For the system to be legitimate, the recidivism rate of those who commit serious crimes warranting life sentences without parole should be higher than that of prisoners convicted of lesser crimes; however, the opposite result is actually observed.

They questioned, "One cannot help but ask how deeply the introduction of the life sentence without parole system has been considered," emphasizing that "the discussion on its introduction needs to be conducted very carefully."

Earlier, the Ministry of Justice announced a partial amendment to the Criminal Act starting from the 14th, distinguishing life imprisonment into 'life imprisonment with parole allowed' and 'life imprisonment without parole allowed,' and requiring courts to decide on parole eligibility when sentencing life imprisonment.

In the context of South Korea being classified as a 'de facto abolitionist country,' the Ministry of Justice's position is that to fill the gap in the execution of sentences for heinous criminals, a 'life imprisonment without parole allowed' system should be created to enable phased punishment.

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