This is what is implied in the book when Moody/Barty Crouch says "The use of any one of them will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban".

Do you agree with this principle?

The primary problem I see with this is that a single-use of the Imperius Curse (the least bad of the three) would automatically entail a life sentence, which I'm not sure it warrants. Thoughts?

^The Imperius Curse robs a person of their free will.

I don't think any single use deserves a lifetime exposure to Dementors. But I do think that murder, torture and removing someone's free will deserves imprisonment.

Also, do we know that it'd automatically earn life imprisonment, without any appeal or consideration of circumstances? I thought Moody/Crouch was possibly simplifying things there. The Aurors were allowed to use these curses during the first war, and Moody/Crouch used the Imperius Curse on students which implies that the real Moody would have done the same.

"I don't think any single use deserves a lifetime exposure to Dementors. But I do think that murder, torture and removing someone's free will deserves imprisonment."

Completely agree, Flickerflame.

I totally agree with Flickerflame too!

^^^You'll often find exceptions for law enforcement personal or for educational purposes in terms of normally-prohibited acts (source: I'm studying law at the moment). I think the situations mentioned would fall under this umbrella.

However, in regards to conduct that isn't excepted under those two provisions, I'm still not certain the Imperius Curse deserves a life sentence in prison. Imprisonment, of course, but for the entirety of one's life? Remember that relative to the other two curses, the victim's experience isn't too horrible if you put aside the element of duress- Harry describes it thus: "a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness". It's effects are not long-term nor particularly traumatic.

Duress and manipulation of others is not in itself treated by the law as deserving of life imprisonment (unless you force the victim to commit murder and the like, which would make it a different case entirely. In the eyes of the law it is YOU who has committed the murder, akin to casting Avada Kedavra). Makes me think that in most circumstances, the Imperius Curse shouldn't result in this level of punishment, new Azkaban or not.

We don't know what the majority of circumstances were for the Imperius Curse cases. A lot of them could have been using it to force people to kill, betray information which could lead to the deaths of others etc.

^And they would be punished accordingly, with the worst offenders receiving the worst legal consequences.

My point is that sentences should always be on a case-by-case basis.I think there would be many circumstances where an unlawful casting of it DOESN'T warrant life imprisonment (a sentence usually reserved for the worst of murderers, rapists, etc). That's why mandatory sentencing doesn't work, in the HP universe or in real life: every criminal case must be considered on a circumstantial basis.

NB: that's not to say there aren't situations where life imprisonment is deserving for perpetrators of the curse. Of course there are. Just that it can't be a blanket consequence for every offender.

It really depends on the circumstances. I mean, Harry himself used the Unforgivable Curses a few times, right? Does he deserve punishment, or is it justifiable because he was doing it for the right reasons? Hard to say. Anyway, I think that the use of dementors as punishment is always wrong; leaving someone's sanity to be sucked up by the dementors is, essentially, performing all three Unforgivable Curses: torture, removal of free will, and removal of life. Even if they're still alive, their life goes away with their sanity because it becomes utterly meaningless, and when one's life is gone, so is their free will.

Interesting points about the Dementors and the parallels between their effects and those of the Unforgivables: have never thought about it like that, but would certainly agree :) It's definitely an interesting topic, both in terms of literature and in terms of ethics. Nice observations... honestly, the more I think about what Azkaban entailed in its Dementor-guarded-era the more horrible it seems. Wouldn't wish it upon any of the characters.