Accumulation of sentences and measures. Practices and challenges for sentence implementation

Jonckheere, Alexia [UCL] Maes Eric

The accumulation of sentences remains a poorly documented aspect of the implementation of sentences. It involves both the simultaneous enforcement of sentences of the same nature (e.g. several prison sentences) and sentences of a different nature (e.g. a prison sentence and work penalty). The cases that arise in practice are in fact very diverse and testify to a dominant tendency in contemporary criminal justice, namely the individualization of penalties and measures and their diversification. In Belgium, many actors are involved in the enforcement of prison sentences and other sentences or measures, such as electronic monitoring, autonomous work penalty and probation sentence or measure. The practice of sentence implementation sometimes differs due to diverging interpretations, traditional customs and a relatively incomplete normative framework. This presentation examines how these sentences are implemented in case of accumulation and points out some important consequences and challenges of actual practice.