Minister Habijan presents introduction of life imprisonment

Minister of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan presented the introduction of life imprisonment at a press conference.

Announcing recent legal changes, he said that the purpose of introducing life imprisonment should be to deter the commission of the most serious crimes, such as the murder of a 19-year-old in Drniš.

“We had to do everything to prevent something like that from happening again,” Minister Damir Habijan said at today's conference. “The responsibility,” he said, “is on us, and this does not mean that our work stops here.”

Three directions of legislative changes

The first direction is - the introduction of life imprisonment; second - redefining the security measure of protective supervision after the full serving of the prison sentence; third - the introduction of a new institute governed by a special law.

Amendments to the Criminal Code are being made for the introduction of life imprisonment. Speaking about the possibility of parole after serving 25 years of the sentence, he said that the working group also looked at the practice of other EU countries. He emphasized that criminal prosecution does not expire, or that the execution of the life sentence itself does not expire.

“It is difficult for a judicial official to predict the behavior or condition of the person to whom he has imposed a sentence. For this reason, we have decided to redefine the security measure, which refers to a special measure of supervision after the serving of the sentence. The probation period has also been extended, with a mandatory review once a year,” Habijan explained.

The introduction of the new institute will be regulated by a special law. The minister considers this step to be the most important, because it will apply to those who, after serving their full prison sentence, and when there is no longer any legal basis for them to remain in it, are placed in a special institution and under special supervision because they are recognized as socially dangerous.

Insufficient prison capacity

The working group decided on the German model because it passed the test of the European Court of Human Rights.

The minister also emphasized that he is aware that they do not have enough prison capacity. “It is not popular to say this, but it is a fact,” he said, adding that this problem has begun to be solved. He reminded that there are 4,000 places in penitentiaries, prisons and correctional institutions, and about 4,900 or 5,000 people have been deprived of their liberty.

Hrstić: Expertise from two independent sources

Minister of Health Irena Hrstić spoke about the new institute, the placement of a person in a special institution and under special supervision because they are recognized as socially dangerous.

“The need for accommodation should be determined by expert opinion, two independent expert opinions,” she said, adding that this is not an expert opinion of one person, but a group of experts who are educated to do this.

Minister Habijan explained that this is a person who has served his sentence, is no longer a prisoner, but based on the expert opinion it was concluded that he is - dangerous to society. “Their condition will be evaluated every year to 18 months, and he can be there for life,” he said.

Source: HRT