Maximum sentence for manslaughter will be increased
The maximum prison sentence for manslaughter will be increased from 15 to 25 years. This will bring the maximum sentence for manslaughter into reasonable proportion again to the maximum prison sentence for murder of 30 years, which is available as an alternative to life imprisonment. Today, the bill providing for this was submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives by Minister Grapperhaus of Justice and Security and Minister Dekker for Legal Protection.
Manslaughter is the intentional killing of another person. Premeditated manslaughter qualifies as murder. A manslaughter sometimes come very close to meeting the definition of murder. Both manslaughter and murder cause irreparable suffering to the victim’s next of kin. Raising the maximum sentence for manslaughter does more justice to the seriousness of the crime and will enable courts to deliver an appropriate punishment in even the most serious cases.