Life without Parole (LWOP)
"Our Other Death Penalty"
Several current cases of the People's Commission deal with Life Parole sentences. The amount of individuals that have received Life without the possibility of Parole (LWOP) sentences -- almost unheard everywhere else in the world -- has increased fivefold since 1984 in the US. This sentence, termed in recent years "death by incarceration," is antithetical to the supposed goal of corrections systems: self-improvement with the eventual reintegration into society. It is also profoundly inhumane, violating basic principles of human dignity. Those sentenced to life in prison permanently lose their freedom -- an aspect of life that we consider a fundamental pillar of our civil society.
Violence in America has been consistently declining over the past few decades -- however sentencing procedures have only become more extreme. The prison population had exploded since the 1960s, driven by political fear mongering and sensationalized stories in the media about crime. Even though life sentences have existed for a long time in the United States, they usually had the possibility of parole to attached, to serve as an incentive for self-improvement.
Over the past few decades, several policy changes have increased convictions with life sentences. One expansion from policymakers have expanded the offenses that can exclude a sentence from eligibility for parole. New "habitual offender" laws, which often also often adopted life terms with no chance for parole have also contributed to this growing population. Additionally, prison sentences that extend beyond the expected life span are far more common today than twenty years ago.
Prison is a life seeped in loneliness and extreme loss. Those imprisoned are permanently separated from their family and loved ones, bringing with it a profound loss: a loss not only of the daily events that make up family life, but also those of major life events: births, deaths, marriages, graduations. Beyond this separation, day-to-day life in prison can be extremely debilitating -- an existence of endless repetition and restriction. This complete loss of freedom is exacerbated by mundane reminders of the stolen dignity in lack of privacy and basic necessities. Life without Parole is a cruel, extreme, and ultimately unhelpful trend in criminal justice.
Sources:
Johnson, Robert, and Sandra McGunigall-Smith. "Life without parole, America's other death penalty: Notes on life under sentence of death by incarceration." The Prison Journal 88.2 (2008): 328-346.
Nellis, Ashley. "Throwing away the key: The expansion of life without parole sentences in the United States." Fed. Sent'g Rep. 23 (2010): 27
.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:400,cg:true)