By Vahan Bournazian

Last week at the National Assembly and at an International Conference held in Yerevan the issue of persons sentenced to life imprisonment was discussed. The basic question that we need to ask is whether we believe in the value of individuals and the potential of rehabilitation, or in simple punishment. If we do believe in rehabilitation then a life-sentence is illogical because it precludes rehabilitation.

The goal of a criminal sentence is either to punish or rehabilitate or both. Punishment for life does not erase the crime or repair the victim, and no punishment can. While preventing crime and protecting potential victims is a valuable state pursuit, often tied to rule of law, it is not a pursuit achieved through punishment.

Statistics show that individuals do not consider, or even know, the punishment for a crime before they commit it, so punishing one person does not teach another person anything:  the death penalty has never stopped murder.   Likewise, a life-sentence does not motivate a prisoner to become a better person because there is no reason to become a better person – the prisoner will be in prison for life.

Considering this, it is more logical and more beneficial for society to pursue rehabilitation. Armenia identifies itself as a Christian nation; consider our Constitution, Art. 8.1. Jesus Christ taught the value of each individual, even identifying Himself with prisoners (Matthew 25).

Also, Armenia is a small nation in a small country with no resources more valuable than the human resource which is our population. We do not have the luxury of wasting any resource, including individuals; we are not wealthy enough to forgo attempting to create productive individuals that can contribute to our society’s future development.  The accepted definition of a developed society is a society made-up of developed individuals.[1] 

The concept that individuals are either good or bad is false.  It is our conduct, our acts, that are either good or bad, legal or illegal.  We all know good people who have done bad things.  We ourselves are guilty of our own mistakes. And because none of us is without sin we value forgiveness.

A life-sentence does not prevent crime, precludes rehabilitation, precludes forgiveness and fails to value individuals.  Although an alternative system which promotes and assesses rehabilitation will require effort, models exist in other countries which can be adapted to Armenia, and it is illogical and morally wrong not to pursue such reform.