I realize the reason for a sentence of life plus 5 years (sometimes prisoners get off earlier for good behavior), but it still seems odd for a prison sentence. Will they keep him in prison in Hell? What about those lucky non-after-life believers (is there a word for that?) I think this is bias against those who believe in Heaven and Hell!

Here's one "no hell" bunch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...Baptist_Universalist And another: http://www.jw.org/en/bible-tea...stions/what-is-hell/ I'm sure there are others.

I've always wondered if, when you're in Heaven, can you look down and see the unfortunates in Hell? And if you can, is it permissible to taunt?

I think "life plus ...." is just a legal way to make certain you don't get paroled.

We don't have that rather strange convention over here. The trial judge can make a recommendation that the full term be served, but parole boards are able to ignore it with impunity. Every now and then a case is reported by the press when a parolee has re-offended and he/she wouldn't have been at liberty if the board had taken any notice of the judge's recommendation. Cue shitstorm in the papers lasting a few days, quickly forgotten until the next time.

Could a Buddhist criminal be sentenced to five consecutive life-sentences?

I thought that link of Geoff's to Primitive Baptists was funny. They consider life as Hell!