Enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

Germany

Germany - Cooperation with ICC 2002 EN

Part 4 Mutual Assistance through the Execution of Decisions and Orders of the Court

§ 41 Enforcement of Prison Sentences
(relating to Article 77 para. 1,Article 103 para. 1 and 2, and Articles 105, 106, and 110 of the Rome Statute)

(1) Prison sentences shall be enforced when:
1. requested by the Court upon presentation of a complete final and enforceable court ruling on guilt and punishment, and
2. the Court and the office responsible pursuant to § 68 para. 1 have agreed upon assumption of responsibility for the enforcement. Upon assumption of jurisdiction over the convicted person a statement by the Court regarding the portion of the imposed penalty remaining to be enforced shall be presented.
(2) The prison sentence shall be enforced to the extent set forth by the Court. The provisions of the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch) regarding suspension of enforcement of the remainder of a set period or a life-long prison sentence (§§ 57-57b of the Criminal Code) and the Criminal Procedure Code regarding enforcement of a prison sentence are inapplicable. The enforcement shall end when the Court so notifies.
(3) Upon request of the Court, the convicted person shall be surrendered to the Court or to a state designated by it. To the extent the Court does not explicitly notify that the convicted person is to be released from custody, he shall be held in custody until surrender to the Court or to the authorities of a state designated by it. Should the Court at a later point in time request a resumption of the enforcement of a criminal penalty already partially enforced domestically, the documents referred to in para. 1 number 1 are not required to be resubmitted. Para. 1 sentence 1 number 2 and sentence 2 apply mutatis mutandis.
(4) The Court is responsible for decisions relating to enforcement of the penalty, including pardon, reinstatement of the proceedings, and reduction of the sentence by the Court, as well as for other decisions that could encompass a stopover for the convicted person outside of the institution in which the convicted person may be detained without guard. To the extent circumstances arise that, under German law, would enable a postponement, a temporary postponement, an interruption in enforcement, a termination of the enforcement, a set-off against the prison sentence to be served, or enforcement orders allowing a stopover outside of the enforcement institution without guard, a decision of the Court shall be obtained. The enforcement of the penalty shall, in addition, be arranged according to German regulations and correspond to the enforcement of penalties that are imposed by German courts for similar criminal acts. The provisions of the Prison Act (Strafvollzugsgesetz) regarding objection proceedings and court proceedings are inapplicable to the extent the Court is responsible for rulings on enforcement measures.
(5) Communications between the convicted person and the Court shall be unimpeded and confidential. Upon request of the Court, members of the Court shall be granted admittance to the penal institution. If the convicted person raises objections to the enforcement of the penalty or files motions regarding which the Court must rule, a ruling by the Court shall be obtained.
(6) Costs arising from the enforcement shall be borne by the federal government in accordance with an agreement to be entered into with the states (Länder). This does not apply to the extent costs are to be assumed by the Court pursuant to law or other regulations.

Rome Statute

Article 103 Role of States in enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

1.

(a) A sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons.

(b) At the time of declaring its willingness to accept sentenced persons, a State may attach conditions to its acceptance as agreed by the Court and in accordance with this Part.

(c) A State designated in a particular case shall promptly inform the Court whether it accepts the Court's designation.

2.

(a) The State of enforcement shall notify the Court of any circumstances, including the exercise of any conditions agreed under paragraph 1, which could materially affect the terms or extent of the imprisonment. The Court shall be given at least 45 days' notice of any such known or foreseeable circumstances. During this period, the State of enforcement shall take no action that might prejudice its obligations under article 110.

(b) Where the Court cannot agree to the circumstances referred to in subparagraph (a), it shall notify the State of enforcement and proceed in accordance with article 104, paragraph 1.

3. In exercising its discretion to make a designation under paragraph 1, the Court shall take into account the following:

(a) The principle that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable distribution, as provided in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence;

(b) The application of widely accepted international treaty standards governing the treatment of prisoners;

(c) The views of the sentenced person;

(d) The nationality of the sentenced person;

(e) Such other factors regarding the circumstances of the crime or the person sentenced, or the effective enforcement of the sentence, as may be appropriate in designating the State of enforcement.

4. If no State is designated under paragraph 1, the sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a prison facility made available by the host State, in accordance with the conditions set out in the headquarters agreement referred to in article 3, paragraph 2. In such a case, the costs arising out of the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be borne by the Court.

Article 105 Enforcement of the sentence

1. Subject to conditions which a State may have specified in accordance with article 103, paragraph 1 (b), the sentence of imprisonment shall be binding on the States Parties, which shall in no case modify it.

2. The Court alone shall have the right to decide any application for appeal and revision. The State of enforcement shall not impede the making of any such application by a sentenced person.