What Is Life Sentence?

What Is Life Sentence?
What Is Life Sentence?

Video: What Is Life Sentence?

Video: What Is Life Sentence?
Video: What is Life Without Parole? 2024, March
Anonim

Last July, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was sentenced to life in prison, plus a sentence of more than 30 years in prison, in federal court in the United States, on 10 criminal charges. But what does that sentence mean for one of the most feared and wanted drug traffickers globally?

According to statistics, in the United States one out of every 2,000 criminals receives life in prison, and according to The Sentencing Project, a non-profit organization, more than 44,000 inmates around the country have been sentenced to 50 years or more than prison. However, the latest report from the country's Sentencing Commission, dictates that such rulings are relatively rare in the federal justice system. Currently, more than two million people are under the United States prison system, serving different sentences.

gettyimages-181874783
gettyimages-181874783

But a life sentence does not necessarily mean that the criminal will never see the light of day again. Most will have the opportunity to get probation after complying with certain time and regulations behind bars.

Among the most common offenses that lead to receiving this type of deprivation of liberty, there is currently drug trafficking, where deaths are involved, either by murder or bodily harm by the use of narcotics, and generally occurs if the accused has a previous criminal record for the same offense or for a serious crime.

According to the United States Department of Courts, in 2013, these types of cases constituted 48.1 percent of life sentences. According to reports, prisoners serving such sentences in a United States prison make up a third of the population facing a similar sentence around the world.

Currently, Guzmán's lawyers are seeking to appeal the drug trafficker's sentence, in order to reduce his punishment so that one day he can be reunited with his family.

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