'Life Imprisonment in Asia: Law and Practice'
Online Conference
5-6 October, 2021
Life imprisonment is a sentence, following a criminal conviction, which gives the state the power to detain a person in prison for life, that is, until they die there.[1] Most countries in the world accept that some type of life sentence may be imposed on some persons convicted of serious offenses. However, given the continuing and, in all likelihood, expanding use of life imprisonment, the development of environments that minimise the potential human costs of these sanctions is a critical concern. Over recent decades, international, regional, and national standards of human rights have emerged as increasingly important means of protecting prisoners against abuse or the types of painfulness and treatment, including life imprisonment.[2]
In that context, an online international conference titled “Life Imprisonment in Asia: Law and Practice” will be co-hosted on 5-6 October 2021 by:
- School of Law, University of Nottingham
- School of Law, Vietnam National University Hanoi
- International Organization of Educators and Researchers Inc. (IOER)
- Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
The themes of the online conference will include:
- Imposing life imprisonment (on whom, for what, and how is life imprisonment imposed)
- The treatment of life sentence prisoners (regime, conditions, access to rehabilitation)
- Release of life sentence prisoners (including conditional release, recall to prison, if applicable)
- The application of international human rights standards to life sentences
- Life sentence prison population statistics
[1] Van ZYL SMIT, DIRK, and CATHERINE APPLETON. "Describing Life." In Life Imprisonment: A Global Human Rights Analysis, 35-85. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press, 2019. Accessed February 13, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvckq60v.5.
[2] DIRK van ZYL SMIT and CATHERINE APPLETON (2019), ibid, pp. 104-125
Call for Papers
We invite scholars and practitioners working in the following areas to submit abstracts that would fit within the broad themes of the conference. The themes of the online conference will include:
- Imposing life imprisonment (on whom, for what, and how is life imprisonment imposed)
- The treatment of life sentence prisoners (regime, conditions, access to rehabilitation)
- Release of life sentence prisoners (including conditional release, recall to prison, if applicable)
- The application of international human rights standards to life sentences
- Life sentence prison population statistics
Details about requirements of abstracts and papers are available via the link below:
Submission of Abstracts
Authors should submit a 200-400 word abstract, which includes a title of the proposed paper and his/her short biographical details (including name, email, academic appointment, affiliations). Abstracts are to be submitted by 30 July 2021 via the link below:
Conference Program
The conference will take place on 5-6 October, 2021
Hanoi time - GMT+7: 1:00pm-5:00pm
London time - GMT+0: 7:00am-11:00am
Manila time - GMT+8: 2:00pm-6:00pm
Melbourne time - GMT+11: 5:00pm-9:00pm
Papers to be presented
Author(s) | Institution | Country of Institution | Paper Title |
---|---|---|---|
John Anderson Hannah Williams | University of Newcastle | Australia | Murder and Mandatory Life in NSW: The Puzzling Application of s 61 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act |
John Anderson Hannah Williams Daniel Matas | University of Newcastle | Australia | Attempting to Restore a Right to Hope of Release: The Phuong Ngo Case |
Jordan Anderson | Victoria University of Wellington | New Zealand | Mapping Life Imprisonment and Indeterminate Sentencing in New Zealand |
Shruti Bedi | Panjab University | India | Life Imprisonment in India: When do we Open the Prison Doors? |
Jennifer Manalo Cueto Jesse Nelson P. Llana Sandy M. Gonzales | Batangas State University | Philippines | Applicability of Special Laws in the Philippines Punishable by Life Imprisonment |
Rohini Dahiya | Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University | India | Gendered Perspective on Life Imprisonment in India: The Dilemma of Misgendering and Violence against Trans Prisoners |
Dat Dang Viet | Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics | Vietnam | Human Security for Life Sentence Prisoners in Some Asian Countries: A Case Study of Transgender Prisoners |
Madhurima Dhanuka | Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative | India | A Life Without Hope - The ‘Other Death Penalty’? |
Farah Nini Dusuki Melati Abdul Hamid | University of Malaya | Malaysia | Reviewing Life Imprisonment in Malaysia: Prospects for Law Reform? |
Robert Esser Romina Milles | University of Passau | Germany | Life Imprisonment in Extradition Cases in the Light of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) |
Giao Vucong Thuy Nguyenxuan | Vietnam National University | Vietnam | Life Imprisonment in Vietnam: A Need of Reform? |
Guo Zhiyuan | China University of Political Science and Law | China | Life Imprisonment in China: Law and Practice |
Shinichi Ishizuka | Ryukoku University | Japan | A Choice by Lawmakers and Lawyers in the Retentionist Country: Which is More Cruel and Unusual, Life in Prison Without Parole or the Death Penalty? |
Youjeong Jeong Osamu Niikura | Aoyama Gakuin University, Risshou University | Japan | Life Imprisonment in South Korea: Law and Practice Additional Information |
Himangshu Kalita Ananya Pathak | Gauhati University | India | Life Imprisonment in India from a Human Rights Perspective: Issues and Challenges |
Kriti Khatri | Banasthali Vidyapith | India | Effects of Life Imprisonment and the Crisis of Prisoner Health |
Sébastien Lafrance | Public Prosecution Service of Canada | Canada | Life Imprisonment in Canada: Is the “Hope” Lost? |
Lisanawati Go | University of Surabaya | Indonesia | The Judge Consideration in Imposing Life Imprisonment: Balance Justice Perspective |
Teppei Ono | Center for Prisoners' Rights Japan | Japan | Life Imprisonment in Japan: Existing Legal System and Alternative Sanctions to the Death Penalty |
Zelina Sultana Nasrin Akter | Jagannath University | Bangladesh | Ensuring Constructive Prison Life for Life Convicted Prisoners in Bangladesh |
Benny Tan | National University of Singapore | Singapore | Life Imprisonment in Singapore: Brief Legal & Sociological Perspectives |
Tran Van Do Phan Thi Thu Le |
Former Deputy Chief Justice, Supreme People's Court of Vietnam Hanoi Procuratorate University |
Vietnam Vietnam | Life Imprisonment and Recommendations to Meet Justice Reform Requirements in Vietnam |
Trang Nguyen Quynh | Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics | Vietnam | Release of Life Sentence Prisoners in Vietnam |
Truong Quang Vinh | Hanoi Law University | Vietnam | Life Imprisonment – from the historical legislation to currently applicable provisions in Vietnam’s penal code 2015 |
Truong Thi Hong Ha Dinh Kieu Trang | Party Central Committee's Commission for International Affairs | Vietnam | Execution of Judgements on Persons Sentenced to Life Imprisonment to Meet the Requirements of Judicial Reform in Vietnam Today (in English and Vietnamese) |
Dirk van Zyl Smit Catherine Appleton | University of Nottingham | United Kingdom | Asian Life Imprisonment in Worldwide Perspective |
Vu Thi Thuy | Vietnam National University | Vietnam | The Right to Health of Life Sentence Prisoners in International Law and Comparative to Vietnamese Law |
Allan Fatchan Gani Wardhana | Islamic University of Indonesia | Indonesia | The Right to Integrate Prisoners for Life: A Study During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia |
Devi Yusvitasari Desi Yunitasari | Ganesha University of Education | Indonesia | Human Rights Fulfillment For Life Imprisonment Sentencers: The Cases of Indonesia |
Day 1
Day 2
Conference Registration
- This conference is jointly organised by:
- School of Law, University of Nottingham
- School of Law, Vietnam National University Hanoi
- International Organization of Educators and Researchers Inc. (IOER)
- Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
- Please direct queries about the conference to:
Kathryn Taylor (in English) or
Giao, Vucong (in Vietnamese)