Book contents
- An Introduction to the International Criminal Court
- An Introduction to the International Criminal Court
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Creation of the Court
- 2 The Court Becomes Operational
- 3 Jurisdiction
- 4 Triggering the Jurisdiction
- 5 Admissibility
- 6 General Principles of Criminal Law
- 7 Investigation and Pre-Trial Procedure
- 8 Trial and Appeal
- 9 Punishment
- 10 Victims of Crimes and Their Concerns
- 11 Structure and Administration of the Court
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
9 - Punishment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 June 2020
- An Introduction to the International Criminal Court
- An Introduction to the International Criminal Court
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Creation of the Court
- 2 The Court Becomes Operational
- 3 Jurisdiction
- 4 Triggering the Jurisdiction
- 5 Admissibility
- 6 General Principles of Criminal Law
- 7 Investigation and Pre-Trial Procedure
- 8 Trial and Appeal
- 9 Punishment
- 10 Victims of Crimes and Their Concerns
- 11 Structure and Administration of the Court
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Statute does not specify the penalty for specific crimes, leaving it to the Trial Chamber to fix a custodial sentence to a maximum of thirty years and, ‘when justified by the extreme gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person’, life imprisonment. Reflecting developments in international human rights law, the Court excludes any possibility of capital punishment. It may also impose a fine. The main objectives in imposing sentence are retribution and deterrence. Aggravating and mitigating factors are set out in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The convicted person may apply for early release after serving two-thirds of the sentence or, in the case of life imprisonment, after twenty-five years. Sentences are served in the domestic prisons of a State Party that has been so designated by the Trial Chamber.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- An Introduction to the International Criminal Court , pp. 338 - 352Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020