[luckylion]

Yes, it's called a life sentence. Nobody is expected to live a thousand years, and they're not going to keep them in prison after they die.

[ggggtez]

In the US, it's possible to be let out of jail for a life sentence in only 7 years, when you account for parole.

Judges are elected officials, so sometimes they like to make a nice big show of giving out a 1000 year sentence to appease the masses, when "life in prison without parole" would have done the same job.

[Mangalor]

I think you miss the point.

[vorpalhex]

Let us say that the punishment for murder in the first degree is always a 50 year jail term. A man who is 75 years of age is charged with two murders and convicted.

1. At 75 years of age, he will not live to be 175

2. The law dictates that the punishment per murder must be 50 years

3. He's been convicted of two murders, and must have both charges applied to him unless we are not to expect punishment for one of the victims.

Ergo, he must have a term much longer than his lifespan.

There are a thousand details I just skipped over (concurrent sentances, multiple crimes commited in the same act, stacking versus non-stacking offenses, etc) but this isn't unusual and is a perfectly rational and sane outcome.

[kerkeslager]

But that's the thing, it's not called a life sentence, and the thing that is called a life sentence, isn't a life sentence.

I dunno if I buy the "dehumanizing" argument, but I certainly think it's unnecessarily confusing.