child abuse-sentencing guidelines

child abuse-sentencing guidelines

Supreme Court panel raises sentencing guidelines for child abuse

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- A Supreme Court panel has raised the sentencing guidelines for child abuse, recommending at least life imprisonment or 20 years in prison for those convicted of murder by abuse, sources said Tuesday.

The non-binding guidelines, which were revised during a meeting of the Supreme Court's Sentencing Commission on Monday, also call for up to 22 1/2 years in prison for those convicted of child abuse resulting in death, according to the sources.

The new guidelines will go into effect in June.

Under the current guidelines, child abuse resulting in death is punishable by a prison term of four to seven years, extendable by up to 10 years depending on the seriousness of the crime.

Sentencing guidelines for murder by child abuse were laid out for the first time after the offence was newly codified following the National Assembly's revision of the child abuse crime act last year.

"There was a need to take into account people's calls to increase prison sentences for perpetrators of serious child abuse crimes," the commission noted.

The new guidelines also recommended a prison term of up to 2 1/2 years, extendable by up to five years, for child sexual abusers while a prison term of up to five years is recommended for offenders of child abuse by negligence or physical or mental abuse.

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