[link removed] [[link removed]]
Dear John,
The Sentencing Project released an extensive analysis [[link removed]] [[link removed]] of the hundreds of thousands of Americans serving 10 or more years behind bars. The report finds that in 2019, over half of the people in U.S. prisons – amounting to more than 770,000 people – were serving sentences of 10 years or longer. That’s a huge jump from 2000, when 587,000 people were serving such sentences.
Other key findings of the report [[link removed]] include:
*
In
2019,
nearly
one
in
five
people
in
U.S.
prisons
–
over
260,000
people
–
had
already
served
at
least
10
years.
Back
in
2000,
just
133,000
people
had
served
10+
years.
*
In
12
jurisdictions,
two-thirds
or
more
of
the
prison
population
were
serving
sentences
of
at
least
a
decade
–
including
Georgia,
Louisiana,
Maryland,
and
Washington,
D.C.
*
Racial
disparities
are
stark
among
those
serving
longer
sentences.
In
2019,
Black
Americans
represented
14
percent
of
the
total
U.S.
population,
33
percent
of
the
total
prison
population,
and
46
percent
of
the
prison
population
who
had
already
served
at
least
10
years.
An abundance of criminological evidence shows that criminal careers typically end within about 10 years, after which recidivism rates fall measurably.
Drawing on this research, the report makes a case for pragmatic and humane reforms, including giving incarcerated people the chance to have their sentence re-evaluated within 10 years. Importantly, this does not mean every person would be resentenced; it simply means people would have the opportunity to make their case before a court. In line with this reasoning, the American Bar Association – the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world – just passed a resolution recommending that people receive precisely such resentencing opportunities.
Extreme sentences are so common in America that 10 years behind bars can seem like a relatively short imprisonment. But it’s an incredibly long period of time – one in which people can experience profound change. After a decade of imprisonment, many incarcerated people mature, take accountability for their actions, and acquire skills to support their successful re-entry. Unfortunately, people with excessive sentences are rarely given an opportunity to show how they have changed and have their sentences re-evaluated. That’s a major flaw in our legal system.
The full report is available here. [[link removed]]
Share this report on social media:
More than half of imprisoned Americans are serving sentences of 10 years or more, reports @Sentencingproj. #EndExtremeSentences bit.ly/3B1tzsE
[[link removed]] Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Ph.D.
Senior Research Analyst
email: [email protected]
Donate [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] The Sentencing Project
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United States
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