To the Problem of Adoption the Institution of Parole of Lifers

According to statistics, Ukraine ranks first place in the number of life sentences among 50 European countries. But the main problem is that condemned have no prospects for parole. In fact, the state deprives them of the right not to be deprived of the hope for release, which was formulated in its decisions by the European Court of Human Rights. As those sentenced to criminal punishment are legally restricted in their rights, the state must ensure that the rights provided for them are respected. That is why the issue of introducing the procedure of parole from life imprisonment into the Criminal Code is important for Ukraine. The article considers the procedures of pardon by the President of Ukraine, who by his decree may release a person sentenced to life imprisonment. But due to legislation and the lack of duty to justify their decisions, the existing procedure cannot be called real and fair. The article also contains the main decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, which explain the legal nature of the convict not to be deprived of the right to release. The decision of Petukhov v. Ukraine is given, which focused on the problems of Ukrainian legislation related to the parole of lifers. The urgency of the issue is confirmed by the case law of Ukrainian courts. That is why it was important to analyze the bills that propose changes and new approaches to the release of life imprisonments. As a result of the analysis of the proposed changes, the following conclusion was made. The availability of alternative procedures for the release of a person from serving a sentence is a positive achievement, but the timeframe that convicts are offered to serve in order to be able to apply for early release is excessive. In our opinion, there are also a lack of criteria for deciding on the early release of lifers. This issue needs further discussion and research, as it is important to keep in mind that the detention of prisoners requires significant financial costs from the state budget. This is only the first step towards resolving this issue, because even with the adoption of the procedure of review and early release, the problem of social adaptation of convicts (resocialization) remains actual