There are 112 people in the country's prisons who have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The youngest is 27 and the oldest 72.
Following a change in criminal legislation last summer, life imprisonment can now be imposed on women. But so far, no woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Under the penal code, life imprisonment cannot be imposed only on minors.
In a reply to IPN, the National Penitentiary Administration states that life imprisonment is imposed on people who have committed exceptionally serious crimes such as murder or rape and on repeat offenders.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment are held in Penitentiary No 5 and Penitentiary No 17 Rezina.
Some of them have a chance to return to freedom, under certain conditions provided by the Criminal Code and the Amnesty Law. They must serve a minimum of 25 years of imprisonment, be positively characterized, with low risk of recidivism.
Since the second half of 2024 and to date, six men sentenced to life imprisonment have been released from prison. Four were released under the Amnesty Law and two because they were seriously ill.
According to the ANP, all convicted prisoners, including those sentenced to life imprisonment, are guaranteed access to information disseminated by the media. Detainees may use a radio, television, personal cassette player or any other device authorized by the prison administration, provided they pay for the electricity consumed. They are also allowed to purchase literature through the commercial network and to subscribe to newspapers and magazines, without any limit on the number of subscriptions, at their own expense or at the expense of others.
Convicted prisoners have the possibility to do unpaid and paid work in the prison.
Also, all convicted persons have the right to meet with their relatives, physically or online.
As of February 15, 2025, there were 5 862 persons in places of detention in the Republic of Moldova, including 5 530 men, 305 women and 27 minors.
The comparative analysis for the last six years shows a decrease in the number of detainees. On January 1, 2020, there were 6 716 persons in prisons, in 2021 - 6 429, in 2022 - 6 396, in 2023 - 6 084, in 2024 - 5 695, and on January 1, 2025 - 5 844 prisoners.
