Criminal
The 2012 Criminal Code with a three-strikes rule
Act C of 2012 introduced a markedly punitive code, including actual life imprisonment and a doubling of the penalty range for repeat violent offenders. The 2017 Code of Criminal Procedure added plea agreements and simplified routes to shorten trials.
Key rules
- Detention before a judicial decision may not exceed 72 hours.
- A third violent offence triggers a doubled upper range, and a fourth may require life imprisonment.
- A defendant may agree the facts and sentence with the prosecutor before indictment.
- Criminal responsibility begins at 14, or at 12 for a short list of grave violent offences.
Governing law
- Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code (2012)
- Act XC of 2017 on criminal procedure (2017)Plea agreements and remote hearings.
- Act II of 2012 on administrative offences (2012)Petty offences and confinement.
Penalties and consequences
- Fines set in daily units by the court.
- Community service work.
- Imprisonment from three months to 25 years, or actual life imprisonment.
In practice
Defence counsel is compulsory in a wide range of cases and the file must be disclosed before the plea stage, so pushing for disclosure early is what makes an agreement negotiable.