Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in America

Ashley Nellis, Ph.D. Senior Research Analyst The Sentencing Project

December 11, 2013

Overview

Our role in examining life sentences Our main three concerns about life

sentences in America 1. Growth in overall numbers 2. Out of step internationally 3. Excluded from reforms

National Picture

As of 2012, 159,884 people were serving life sentences, representing an 11.9% rise since our last data collection in 2008

One in 9 people in prison is serving a life sentence

The rise in LWOP has been steeper than the rise in life sentences with the possibility of parole • 22.1% rise in LWOP; 7.6% rise in LWP

Approximately 10,000 life-sentenced prisoners have been convicted of a nonviolent offense

National Picture, Cont.

Population Female Male Adult Life 3,491 99,084

Adult LWOP 1,596 44,986

Juvenile Life 211 7,651

JLWOP 63 2,435

GENDER TOTAL 5,361 154,156

POP TOTAL 159,520 159,520

Total % 3.4% 96.7%

Lifer Population Over Time

34,000

69,845

127,677 132,000 142,884

159,884

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

1984 1992 2003 2005 2008 2012

States with the Largest Rise, 2008-2012

State 2008 2012 % Increase

# Add’l People

California 36,121 40,362 11.7% 4,241

Colorado 2,166 2,621 21.0 455

Kansas 861 1,061 23.2 200

Nevada 2,217 2,719 22.6 502

Washington 1,982 2,623 32.3 641

6,039

States with Most Lifers

2.9

3.2

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.8

5.0

5.7

6.4

7.6

25.3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Louisiana

Michigan

Pennsylvania

Alabama

Federal

Ohio

Georgia

Texas

New York

Florida

California

State Level: Lifers as % of Prison Population

Nationally, 10.6% of people in prison are serving life sentences States with the greatest percentage of lifers

within their prison population are: • California (30.1%) • Nevada (21.5%) • Massachusetts (19.4%) • New York (18.8%) • Washington (15.4%)

Race & Ethnicity

Racial disparities are significant: nearly 50% of those serving life sentences are African American; almost 2 in 3 are nonwhite

In some states, like MD, more than 75% are black. Other notable states: • Georgia (72%) • Louisiana (73.4% • Mississippi (71.5%) • South Carolina (64.9%)

16% of lifers are Latino with even higher percentages in CA (35.7%), CO (26.4%), NM (44.1%), and AZ (24.8%)

States with Highest Percent Non-White

53.1

55.3

65

65.7

66

67.2

73

74.3

75.2

75.5

77.9

78.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

MO

OH

DE

TX

MI

IL

CT

PA

GA

NY

CA

MD

Crime of Conviction

Homicide 64%

Sex.Asslt/Rape

14%

Asslt/Rob/ Kidnap

14%

Drug 2%

Property 4%

Other 2%

States with More than 30% Non-Homicide

State Percent Non-Homicide

Idaho 54.1

Washington 46.2

Alabama 39.2

Georgia 38.7

Kansas 38.1

Delaware 36.3

South Carolina 36.2

Louisiana 33.3

Possible Causes for Continued Rise in Life Sentences

Habitual offender laws Expansion of eligible offenses Exclusion of lifers from prison reform Elimination of parole Declining use of the death penalty

California

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

Life with Parole Life without Parole Prison

Washington

Year LWOP Population % LWOP Due to 3X

2000 412 18.2

2002 448 33.9

2004 500 42.8

2006 537 50.8

2008 557 58.7

2010 554 69.7

2012 637 68.1

Colorado

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Life with Parole LWOP

Colorado, Cont.: Crime of Conviction

Offense Life LWOP

Homicide 268 (13.3) 592 (97.7)

Sex Offense 1,615 (80.1) 14 (2.3)

Agg. Asslt/Robb/Kidnap 68 (3.4) 0 (0.0)

Drug Offense 8 (0.4) 0 (0.0)

Property Offense 42 (2.1) 0 (0.0)

Other 14 (0.7) 0 (0.0)

Total 2,015 606

Pennsylvania

848

1429

2139

2973

3627

4216

4825 5102

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2012

New York

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Life with Parole Prison Life without Parole

Texas

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Death Sentences LWOP

Reform

Critical moment Carve out opportunities

• Nonviolent • Non-homicide • Third strikers/habitual offenders • Juveniles

Working with death penalty abolitionists Collect data on so-called “virtual lifers”

More Information

Additional Lifer Reports from The Sentencing Project

The Meaning of Life: Long Prison Sentences in Context (2004)

No Exit: The Expanding Use of Life Sentences in America (2009) The Lives of Juvenile Lifers: Findings from a National Survey (2011)

www.sentencingproject.org

http://www.sentencingproject.org/

Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in AmericaOverviewNational PictureNational Picture, Cont.Lifer Population Over TimeStates with the Largest Rise, �2008-2012States with Most LifersState Level: �Lifers as % of Prison PopulationRace & EthnicityStates with Highest Percent �Non-WhiteCrime of ConvictionStates with More than 30% �Non-HomicidePossible Causes for Continued Rise in Life SentencesCaliforniaWashingtonColoradoColorado, Cont.: �Crime of ConvictionPennsylvaniaNew YorkTexasReformMore Information