This free guide by the Sentencing Project is an excellent overview of lifer laws and parole practices in different states.

It answers your questions about what a life sentence really means in your state. Is there a shot at parole -- or does life really mean life?

It also documents the staggering increase in lifers nationwide despite drops in violent crime.

http://www.sentencingproject.org/pdfs/lifers.pdf.

Hello Qwerty,

The "Sentencing Project" website is an excellent source of information in my view. Well done for researching this for us all.

I was doing some research on Executive Clemency recently. Once a life term prisoner's appeal options are all exhausted - if parole is not available then an application for Executive Clemency is often the only option left.

Executive Clemency Boards can issue full pardons (which are rare). More often, one is seeking to have a life term converted into a fixed term (commutation of sentence on the grounds of mercy) or apply for restoration of civil rights.

http://www.sentencingproject.org/rights-restoration.cfm

Regards,

Steve.

I have glanced through some of the sentencing project site. It is well worth a look through when you have some time to spare (which I know most of us don't but it's worth making time for).

Thank

Okay .. let me try again Thank you for this very valuable and important information...

Thanks for letting us know about this website. I still have much to learn about the system and the verbage that comes along with it. I also hope state guidelines will have changed many years from now when our lifers have chances at parole.

N8tiv, I believe the policies and politics WILL change... as prisons fill up with more lifers than ever and budgets get tighter, politicians are going to start to let loose.

If you have a chance, check out the news story I posted about a politician willing to risk his career over lifer paroles, because as he said, using politics to administer "justice" has to end...

qwerty,
Thanks for the info.. Iwas reading the stats on all the people doing life and to be honest it really bothers my mind...Well gets me sick....Wow i wish things would change...It really gets me down in the dumps some times..Its shame why these laws must take away a persons liberty for so long...effecting so many lives not only the accused. Just wish there was more hope instead of all this wishful thinking.

Thanks Q, downloaded it!

One of every 11 (9.4%) offenders in state/federal prison – 127,677 persons – is now serving a
life sentence.
· Of the lifers in prison, one in four (26.3%) is serving a sentence of life without parole, having
increased from one in six (17.8%) in 1992.

Thank you for sharing all this very important .. information w/ us.. this resource center is great

GREAT JOB Q

Donna

Interesting article, thanks for sharing! :)