Reclusion perpetua

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Reclusion perpetua (Spanish: reclusión perpetua, from Latin: reclusio perpetua) is a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment in the Philippines, Argentina, and several other countries.

In the Philippines, it is one of two sentences, the other being life imprisonment, designed to replace the death penalty and is, in legal parlance, almost synonymous with life imprisonment. However, there are several important distinctions between the two terms:

Reclusion perpetua is prescribed on crimes punishable by the Revised Penal Code, while life imprisonment is imposed on offenses punishable by Special Laws.
Reclusion perpetua carries accessory penalty, life imprisonment does not.
Reclusion perpetua entails a minimum imprisonment of 30 years after which a convict becomes eligible for pardon, but the maximum period for imprisonment may not exceed 40 years. Life imprisonment, however, does not have any definite extent or duration of imprisonment.
Unlike life imprisonment, reclusion perpetua is an indivisible penalty and has no minimum, medium or maximum periods. It is imposed in its entirety regardless of any attendant aggravating or mitigating circumstances.