&gt; What&#x27;s the rationale for that limit?<p>The rational for such limits in Europe is always the same: the law of diminishing returns. Increasing the max sentence after a certain point no longer has any impact on crime rates, so why do it? It costs money and creates unnecessary human suffering.<p>Notice that Europeans do not place the same importance on retribution as Americans do. You hear less talk of &quot;paying your debt to society&quot; and such things. The modern European justice system is mostly seen as a mechanism of deterrence. I suspect that this is because Europe is more secular.