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Updated September 17th, 2021 at 12:09 IST

Denmark set to ban life-sentence convicts from forming new romantic links

Under Denmark's new six-point law of the romantic links of prisoners, life-term prisoners will no longer be encouraged on social media or allowed to form bonds

Reported by: Anwesha Majumdar
Denmark
Image: Unsplash/ Representative image | Image:self
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The government of Denmark has introduced legislation prohibiting life-sentenced convicts from engaging in new romantic relationships and attachments. According to the newly adopted legislation, within the first ten years of a prisoner's term, convicts will be prohibited from forming new connections and will be limited to send letters or having telephone communication with those who were close to them before their imprisonment.  

The Danish ministers believe that the prohibition would prevent the growth of criminal 'gangs.' Under the new six-point law of the romantic links of prisoners, life-term prisoners will no longer be able to openly write about their crimes on social networking sites or talk about those on podcasts. The legislation, which was forwarded to the committee stage on Wednesday, has already received backing from Denmark's right-wing opponents in parliament. It is scheduled to take effect at the start of next year.   

The reason behind the implementation of Denmark new prisoners law

As per BBC, the rule was enacted when it was revealed that a 17-year-old girl was in love with the murderer Peter Madsen. Madsen was found guilty of committing the horrific murder of a Swedish journalist Kim Wall on his own submarine known as the UC3 Nautilus, on August 10, 2017, after she joined it to interview him. Subsequently, he dissected her body and threw it into the sea. In 2018, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. 

The young 17 years old girl, Cammilla Kürstein stated that she fell in love with Madsen when she was used to exchanging letters and communicating via phone with him for two years. According to BBC, when he eventually married a 39-year-old Russian woman Jenny Curpen, while jailed in 2020, she felt envious. 

Experts opinion on the Denmark new prisoners law

BBC further reported that the Justice Minister of the Folketing for the Social Democrats political party, Nick Haekkerup explained in a statement that these kinds of connections must definitely be prevented. He further added that convicted inmates must not be allowed to utilise the jails as dating hubs or social platforms to gloat regarding their offences. Haekkerup even informed that there are shreds of evidence of inmates who have committed heinous crimes had contacted young kids in order to garner sympathy votes. 

While, on the other hand, the Danish Institute for Human Rights Maria Ventegodt informed BBC that the institution will look into the legislation in the following weeks. She further said they will also evaluate the law in terms of the right to family life. She even explained that the institution will probably focus on two issues. First and foremost, is there any legal justification for imposing this restriction in the first place and the second consideration is to evaluate whether there is proportionality. 

(Image: Unsplash/ Representative Image)

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Published September 17th, 2021 at 12:09 IST

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