Justice minister wants harsher punishment for capital offences

Justice Minister Pavel Rychetsky has announced a planned amendment to the penal code which would entail harsher punishment for capital offences. Serious crimes such as terrorism, hostage-taking, murder, torture, rape and child abuse -for which there is now a maximum 15 year sentence -should, according to minister Rychetsky - be punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The proposal has been well received both by the public and the Union of Czech Judges. Judge Jan Vyklicky explains why change is necessary:

Justice minister wants harsher punishment for capital offences

The court

"Our penal code is nearly forty years old. It was enacted at the time of the communist regime and the structure of punishment for economic crime, capital offences and new forms of crime is not balanced. So if the justice minister has expressed the will to make significant changes in this respect I think it is a very good idea and I am sure it will be supported by judges themselves."

Can you tell me how these limits are set in the first place? Is the penal code of other states taken into consideration?

"I am sure that some inspiration comes from foreign legislature -from countries with a similar legal culture - that means predominantly from Europe but also from the United States."

Attempts to overhaul the judicial system have repeatedly failed in the past. Will there be sufficient political will to see these changes through Parliament?

"I think that our politicians should consider public opinion. And the general opinion now is that we need strong punishment for some specific types of crime - such as kidnapping, terrorism, organized crime etc. If something is changed in this respect our general public will believe that our government is prepared to fight new forms of crime and the growing brutality of crime today."