The Taylor Sentencing Judgment: A Critical Analysis

Heller, Jon

Abstract

Despite concluding that he was liable for crimes committed in Sierra Leone only as an accessory, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) recently sentenced Charles Taylor to 50 years imprisonment, the second longest sentence in the Tribunal’s history. This article provides a critical analysis of Taylor’s sentence, asking whether it comports with the widely accepted principle that a sentence must not be ‘out of reasonable proportion’ with sentences imposed on similarly situated defendants. It concludes that, in fact, Taylor’s sentence is significantly disproportionate in comparison to other sentences imposed by the SCSL.

Citation

Heller, J. The Taylor Sentencing Judgment: A Critical Analysis. Journal of International Criminal Justice, 11(4), 835-855. https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqt040

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Sep 13, 2013
• Deposit Date: Jan 15, 2017
• Journal: Journal of International Criminal Justice
• Print ISSN: 1478-1387
• Electronic ISSN: 1478-1395
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 835-855
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqt040