PhD student: Mrs N.S. de With

Promotor: H. Nelen

Duration: 1/9/2019 - 31/8/2023

Abstract:

There is no legal system that fully executes imprisonment sentences exactly as they are imposed by the court. In almost all legal systems the executed sentence is shorter than the imposed sentence, for example as a result of early release or parole because of post-verdict circumstances. That creates tension between the expectations created by the imposed sentence and the reality of the executed sentence. It appears that the causal link between sentencing and execution is ambiguous. This raises the following research question: Which factors play a part in determining sentences as well as their execution, what exactly is their interrelation, how do we explain the disparity between sentences imposed and executed and what does that disparity consist of? In order to answer this question, a comparative study will be conducted into the causes and consequences of the disparity between sentencing and the execution of sentences, comparing the criminal justice systems of the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States