Why life sentences are considered cruel and unusual punish

Prison sentences are a typical means to censure and curb illegal conduct. [iStockphoto]

Recently, the Court of Appeal declared mandatory life imprisonment unconstitutional.

The three-judge decision came from a petition by Julius Kitsao, who was convicted of defiling a four-year-old girl under Section 8 of the Sexual Offences Act. He argued that imposing a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment was unconstitutional. The court agreed with some of his arguments and modified his sentence to 40 years with rehabilitation.