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Dear John,
The Sentencing Project released an extensive analysis [[link removed]] of 40,000 people serving life without parole (LWOP) in the United States, revealing that almost half (47%) are at least 50 years old.
Nothing but Time: Elderly Americans Serving Life Without Parol e [[link removed]] , authored by Ashley Nellis, Ph.D., The Sentencing Project’s Senior Research Analyst, investigates demographic, crime, and sentencing data of individuals in 20 states serving LWOP, which represents three-quarters of people serving LWOP nationally. The analysis shows that:
*
47
percent
of
people
serving
LWOP
are
at
least
50
years
old.
*
60
percent
of
the
elderly
imprisoned
serving
LWOP
have
already
served
at
least
20
years.
*
Half
of
aging
people
serving
LWOP
are
Black
and
nearly
60
percent
are
people
of
color.
*
One
in
7
of
the
elderly
LWOP
population
was
under
25
at
the
time
of
their
offense.
*
In
ten
years,
even
if
no
additional
LWOP
sentences
are
added
in
these
states,
30,000
people
will
be
50
or
older.
Older people present an extremely low risk to public safety; imprisonment until their death is inhumane and represents ineffective crime prevention. The report recommends the following reforms:
*
Allow
immediate
sentence
review
with
presumption
for
release
for
those
who
are
50
and
older
and
have
served
10
years;
*
Reinstate
parole
for
those
currently
ineligible;
*
Give
added
weight
to
advanced
age
at
parole
or
sentence
review
hearings;
*
Revise
medical
release
statutes
and
policies
to
include
persons
sentenced
to
life
imprisonment;
and
*
Expand
clemency
release
opportunities.
Without intervention, the number of elderly people serving life without parole stands to increase substantially in the coming decade, and prisons are largely unprepared to handle their medical, social, physical, and mental health needs.
Click here to read the full report. [[link removed]]
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[[link removed]] Ashley Nellis, Ph.D.
Senior Research Analyst
email: [email protected]
Donate [[link removed]]
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