Mostepanyuk L. Life Imprisonment as a Type of Criminal Penalty

The object of the investigation is life imprisonment as a type of criminal penalty. The aim of the investigation is the complex monographic research of life imprisonment problematic, grounding of several propositions concerning improvement of the active criminal and criminal-executive legislation regulating application of life imprisonment. The methods of investigation and equipment are: a) general scientific (method of general dialectics, comparative historic, comparative legislative, systematic and structural analysis, and statistical method); b) concrete sociological (questionnaire design, criminal cases analysis). The theoretical results and novelty: the proposed theoretical statements can serve as the basis for further investigation if life imprisonment as the most severe of the criminal penalties, they can also contribute to perfection of the Ukrainian criminal legislation as well as of the practical side of its application. Practical results and novelty – basic statements proposed in the research may be used: a) for further investigation of theoretical and practical problems connected with life imprisonment and other types of criminal penalties; b) in the process of preparing of propositions concerning alteration of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; c) in decision making issues concerning serving life imprisonment and improvement of legislation concerning the topic; d) for writing separate chapters of manuals and school-books, for general part of criminal and criminal-executive law teaching; they can also be used in the materials aimed at rising the level of professional skills of law machinery employees and of ordinary citizens. Subject and level of realization – results of the investigation are forwarded to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and to the National Academy of Internal Affairs for consideration and use in the teaching process. Effectiveness of realization – conclusions and propositions received positive estimation of the experts. Sphere of use – preventive activities of law machinery and teaching process.