A Look at the Inappropriateness of Life Without Parole as an Alternative to the Death Penalty

Details: By Ashley Nellis; Parent Category: Criminal Justice and Racism; Category: Death Penalty; 14 March 2013; Hits: 32384

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I. The Rise of LWOP Sentences

The use of life without parole sentences has increased by 300% in the past two decades. Between 1992 and 2008, the number of prisoners serving LWOP rose from 12,453 to more than 41,000. In sixteen states and the federal system, the discretionary parole system has been eliminated rendering all life-sentenced convicts in those jurisdictions ineligible for release.

Though LWOP is available in nearly every state, such sentences are disproportionately represented in Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, California, and Michigan. Combined, these states accounted for 53.5% of all LWOP sentences nationwide in 2008. Racial disparities are deeply troubling: Blacks comprised 56.4% of the LWOP population nationwide in 2008, but this figure was as high as 73.9% and 73.3% in Georgia and Louisiana, respectively. Juveniles represent a growing segment of life-sentenced inmates who do not have the opportunity for parole, now totaling more than 2,500 prisoners.

Figure 3. State and Federal LWOP Populations in 2008/2009 (Omitted)

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Race, Racism and the Law
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