[germuhknee]

I liked him! Very refreshing and interesting to have a new, non-comic guest on the show.

BTW, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_sentence#Germany)

Germany

The minimum time to be served for a sentence of life imprisonment (Lebenslängliche Freiheitsstrafe) is 15 years, after which the prisoner can apply for parole.

The German Constitutional Court has found life imprisonment without the mere possibility of parole to be antithetical to human dignity, the most fundamental concept of the present German constitution. That does not mean that every convict has to be released, but that every convict must have a realistic chance for eventual release, provided that he is not considered dangerous any more. Displays of contrition or appeals for mercy must not be made a condition for such a release. There is considerable popular opposition to the application of this ruling in the case of Red Army Faction terrorists.

In cases where the convict is found to pose a clear and present danger to society, the sentence may include a provision for "preventive detention" (German: Sicherungsverwahrung) after the actual sentence. This is not considered a punishment but a protection of the public; elements of prison discipline that are not directly security-related will be relaxed for those in preventive detention. The preventive detention is prolonged every two years until it is found that the convict is unlikely to commit further crimes. Preventive detention may last for longer than 10 years, and is used only in exceptional cases. Since 2006, it is possible for preventive detention to be ordered by a court after the original sentencing, if the dangerousness of a criminal becomes obvious only during his imprisonment.

For a person under the age of 18 (or 21, if the person is not considered to be of adult maturity, which is frequently the case) the life sentence is not applicable. The maximum punishment for a youth offender is 10 years imprisonment.