The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] upheld [judgment] a whole-life sentence for convicted killer Arthur Hutchinson on Tuesday. Hutchinson, who was convicted of murdering the parents and brother of a bride in 1983, argued [Daily Mail report] that his punishment amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. However, the court did not find a violation [BBC report] of Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights [text, PDF]. This ruling allows Britain to continue to impose whole-life sentences on criminals. The court found [Guardian report] that those with whole-life sentences are responsible for truly heinous crimes. Prisoners have argued that they are still entitled to some hope of eventual release, however. The court found that these “whole-life” prisoners do have a chance of a review of their record and term after 25 years of service, therefore there is hope of eventual release. The judges ultimately ruled 14-3 that there had been no breach of Hutchinson’s rights as prisoners can ask the justice secretary to review their sentences at any time.

The treatment of prisoners and prison reform [JURIST podcast] has been a growing concern in the US for years. Last week the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published a report on the dangers of solitary confinement [JURIST report] in American prisons. In February the California Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that the state governor’s plan for prison overcrowding could be placed on the state ballot. In January 2015 the US Supreme Court ruled that a landmark decision banning mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles should apply retroactively [JURIST report]. A federal court in February 2015 approved [JURIST report] a settlement agreement between the Arizona Department of Corrections and the ACLU in a class action lawsuit over the health care system within Arizona prisons. Also in February 2015 rights group Equal Justice Under Law filed suit [JURIST report] against the cities of Ferguson and Jennings, Missouri, for their practice of jailing citizens who fail to pay debts owed to the city for minor offenses and traffic tickets.