Unlike in other countries in Europe, there is generally no possibility of early release for anyone sentenced to life imprisonment.
Since the 1970s, only three such pardons have been successful, two of which had been terminally ill. As of 2023, there are around 30 inmates serving life sentences in Dutch prisons.
[1] While there is still no possibility of parole for any person sentenced to life imprisonment, The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled in 2016 that the then-current manner of imposing life sentences without any possibility of release other than a rarely-granted pardon violated Article 3 (which concerns the prohibition of torture and inhumane punishment) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The court also stated that even if a return to society is not feasible at the 25-year mark, the prisoner should be entitled to periodic review of his sentence afterward.
The judicial panel (always composed of three members) is not able to award sentences of longer than 15 years' imprisonment for manslaughter alone (so not combined with other facts constituting an offense), so if malice aforethought has not been proven, a criminal will never receive a sentence of longer than 15 years.