Judiciary system
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in 2008 had 141 district courts (Bezirksgerichte), 20 provincial courts (Landesgerichte), and four higher provincial courts (Oberlandesgerichte). There is also a Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof),
Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof), and
Administrative Court
An administrative court is a type of court specializing in administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are considered se ...
(Verwaltungsgerichtshof).
Life imprisonment
Parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
may be granted to certain inmates in Austria after 15 years' imprisonment, if prison officials are satisfied that the inmate will not
re-offend. This is subject to the discretion of a criminal court panel, and a possible appeal to the high court. Alternatively, the
President may grant a
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
following a motion of the Minister of Justice. If the President rejects the petition of clemency or pardon, the offender will be sentenced to imprisonment for a lifetime, and thus will spend the rest of their natural life in prison. Inmates who committed their crime when they were below the age of 21 cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment. Instead, juvenile offenders can only be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.
See also
*
Courts in Austria
*
Politics of Austria
References
External links
Books on the Austrian legal system
{{World topic, Life imprisonment in, noredlinks=y, title=
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed te ...
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...