RSSThe mass murderer in Norway gets 21 years in prison
Aug 24
Anders Behring Breivik: Norway court finds him sane
And my first reaction was “only 21 years for killing 77 people?!?!?!” But, this made me feel a bit better:
“He was convicted of terrorism and premeditated murder, and given the maximum sentence of 21 years’ imprisonment.
However, that can be prolonged at a later date if he is deemed to remain a danger to society.”
Which made me curious if we have something similar to the “can be prolonged” part in Canada. Defining maximum sentences is mostly a good thing, but there are extreme cases, like this, where they fail.
Aug 24, 2012 @ 06:33:33
There is – sort of.
At the time of sentencing, it is possible for a convicted person to be declared a Dangerous Offender, in which case the sentence can in practice be indefinite.
The difference would seem to be that in Norway, a similar determination can be made later.
(IANAL)
Sep 02, 2012 @ 12:06:51
Yes, there are many things that can be done in Canada in sentencing of a convicted criminal. For example the sentencing of Tadeusz Ustaszewski that will be happening in October of 2012 for assisting in the abduction of children:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/1246365–grandfather-guilty-of-aiding-abduction
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=445713085473226