Crime > Punishment > Minimum life sentence to serve before eligibility for requesting parole: Countries Compared
- Home
- Country Info
- Stats
- Crime
- Punishment
- Minimum life sentence to serve before eligibility for requesting parole
DEFINITION:
Minimum to serve before eligibility for requesting parole.
No date was available from the Wikipedia article, so we used the date of retrieval.
COUNTRY |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| AfghanistanAfghanistan | Never |
| AlbaniaAlbania | 25 years |
| ArgentinaArgentina | 20 years or never |
| ArmeniaArmenia | 20 years or never |
| AustraliaAustralia | 10 years, 20 years, 25 years, or never; individually set by judge |
| AustriaAustria | 15 years (Imprisonment for a definite period) or never (Imprisonment for lifetime, when clemency is rejected by President) |
| AzerbaijanAzerbaijan | Never |
| BelarusBelarus | 25 years |
| BelgiumBelgium | 15 years (no previous conviction or below 3 years), 19 years (previous conviction below 5 years), or 23 years (previous conviction 5 years or more) |
| BelizeBelize | Never |
| BoliviaBolivia | Varies, depending on sentence |
| Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina | Varies, depending on sentence |
| BrazilBrazil | Varies, depending on sentence |
| BulgariaBulgaria | 20 years or never |
| CanadaCanada | 7 years minimum to infinite |
| Cape VerdeCape Verde | Varies, depending on sentence |
| ChileChile | 40 years or never |
| ChinaChina | 10 years for non-violent crimes; never for murder, rape, kidnap, arson, explosives offences, putting hazardous materials or other organized violent crimes |
| ColombiaColombia | Varies, depending on sentence |
| Costa RicaCosta Rica | Varies, depending on sentence |
| CroatiaCroatia | Varies, depending on sentence |
| CubaCuba | Never; only under pardon by president |
| CyprusCyprus | 20 years |
| Czech RepublicCzech Republic | 20 years general 30 or more years if part of sentence |
| DenmarkDenmark | 12 years, or never |
| Dominican RepublicDominican Rep. | Varies, depending on sentence |
| EcuadorEcuador | Varies, depending on sentence |
| EgyptEgypt | Never |
| El SalvadorEl Salvador | Varies, depending on sentence |
| EstoniaEstonia | Never |
| FinlandFinland | 12 years for court release, any time for presidential pardon |
| FranceFrance | 18\u201322 years (30 years or never for very rare cases) |
| GermanyGermany | 15 years |
| GreeceGreece | 16 years, or 20 years in cases of multiple life sentences |
| Holy See (Vatican City)Vatican City | 21 years, 26 years |
| HondurasHonduras | Varies, depending on sentence |
| Hong KongHong Kong | Individually set by judge |
| HungaryHungary | 20\u201340 years or never |
| IcelandIceland | 16 years |
| IndiaIndia | 14 years or never; individually set by judge |
| IndonesiaIndonesia | Never |
| IraqIraq | Never |
| IrelandIreland | 12\u201330 years or never; individually set by judge |
| IsraelIsrael | 13\u201330 years or never |
| ItalyItaly | 21 years, 26 years, or never |
| JamaicaJamaica | 10\u201330 years or never; individually set by judge |
| JapanJapan | 10 years or never |
| JordanJordan | Never |
| KazakhstanKazakhstan | 25 years or never |
| KiribatiKiribati | 25 years or never |
| KosovoKosovo | Varies, depending on sentence |
| KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan | Never |
| LaosLaos | Never |
| LatviaLatvia | 25 years |
| LebanonLebanon | Never |
| LithuaniaLithuania | 25 years |
| MacauMacau | Varies, depending on sentence |
| MalaysiaMalaysia | 20 years or never |
| MexicoMexico | Varies, depending on sentence |
| MoroccoMorocco | Never |
| NepalNepal | 20 years |
| NetherlandsNetherlands | Never |
| New ZealandNew Zealand | 10 years, 17 years, 20 years, 30 years or never; individually set by judge |
| NicaraguaNicaragua | Varies, depending on sentence |
| NigeriaNigeria | Never |
| North KoreaNorth Korea | Never |
| NorwayNorway | Varies, depending on sentence |
| PakistanPakistan | 25 years |
| PanamaPanama | Varies, depending on sentence |
| ParaguayParaguay | Varies, depending on sentence |
| PeruPeru | 35 years or never |
| PolandPoland | 25 years or more\u2014individually set by judge |
| PortugalPortugal | Varies, depending on sentence |
| Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia Rep. | 15 years |
| Republic of the CongoCongo Rep. | Varies, depending on sentence |
| RomaniaRomania | 20 years |
| RussiaRussia | 25 years |
| Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia | Never |
| SerbiaSerbia | Varies, depending on sentence |
| SingaporeSingapore | 20 years |
| SlovakiaSlovakia | 25 years |
| SloveniaSlovenia | 25 years |
| SomaliaSomalia | Never |
| South AfricaSouth Africa | 10, 15, or 25 years |
| South KoreaSouth Korea | 10 years or never |
| SpainSpain | Varies, depending on sentence |
| SwedenSweden | 18 years or never, but parole hearing may be held after 10 years served, thus fixing a much later date for release on parole |
| SwitzerlandSwitzerland | 10 years or 15 years; individually set by judge |
| SyriaSyria | Never |
| TajikistanTajikistan | Never |
| TunisiaTunisia | Never |
| TurkeyTurkey | Life imprisonment: 24 years (30 if organized crime), Multiple life imprisonments: 30 years (34 if organized crime), Aggravated life imprisonment: 30 years (36 if organized crime), Multiple aggravated life imprisonments: 36 years (40 if organized crime), or never (aggravated life imprisonment for terrorism) |
| TurkmenistanTurkmenistan | Never |
| UkraineUkraine | 25 years |
| United StatesUnited States | 15 years minimum to infinite, or never (depending on crime and state) |
| UruguayUruguay | Varies, depending on sentence |
| UzbekistanUzbekistan | 25 years or never |
| VenezuelaVenezuela | Varies, depending on sentence |
| VietnamVietnam | 14 years or never |
