LIVING WITHOUT PAROLE: Assessing Life Sentences by People Who Live It and People Who Study It

More people are serving life without parole sentences in the United States than ever before. Yet, relatively little empirical research examines life without the possibility of parole. It is especially the case that existing research leaves out the voices of men and women facing the prospect of ending their lives in prison. Our chapter makes a unique contribution to life without parole research by combining the voices of a sentencing scholar, a correctional scholar, and three men currently serving life without parole. We begin by briefly examining the history of life sentences in the United States, documenting the dramatic increase in the use of these sentences, and discussing the characteristics of individuals serving life sentences. We then hear from each of the three incarcerated men on the pathways that led them to a life sentence, as well as to how they are navigating the realities of serving life. Each of the outside scholars then reflect on their perspective on life without parole sentences. We all have different voices and difference experiences, but we arrive at the same conclusion: life without parole sentences are inconsistent with both empirical research and principles of fairness and justice in sentencing, as contextualized through the lives of men who serve life without parole.