Too Easy to Keep: Life-Sentenced Prisoners and the Future of Mass Incarceration“Some guys don’t break any rules. They do their jobs, they go to school, they don’t commit any infractions, they keep their cells clean and tidy, and they follow the rules. And usually those are our LWOPs [life without parole]. They’re usually our easiest keepers.” Too Easy to Keep directs much-needed attention toward a neglected group of American prisoners—the large and growing population of inmates serving life sentences. Drawing on extensive interviews with lifers and with prison staff, Too Easy to Keep charts the challenges that a life sentence poses—both to the prisoners and to the staffers charged with caring for them. Surprisingly, many lifers show remarkable resilience and craft lives of notable purpose. Yet their eventual decline will pose challenges to the institutions that house them. Rich in data, Too Easy to Keep illustrates the harsh consequences of excessive sentences and demonstrates a keen need to reconsider punishment policy. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ability aging prisoners American American Psychological Association atone Burt Carly cell challenges committed convicted counselor crime Criminal Justice Criminology custody staff daily declining prisoners Dementia in Prison described deserve Desistance easy keepers elderly prisoners Emile Durkheim facilities gonna guys hard harm HERBERT hope hospital human Human Rights Watch Imprisonment incarceration individuals inmates institution interviewed issue James Sorenson Journal kids Law Review Leonard life-sentenced prisoners life-without-parole lifers lives look maturation mean Melvin ment Monroe Correctional Complex moral Nellis notably noted nurse offender Older Prisoners Oxford University Press parole person Prison Population prison staff programs punishment policy reality recidivism recognize redemption reformatory rehabilitation release responsibility retribution retributionist Sentencing Project social society stay struggle stuff talk tences there's thing tion Tom Tyler Twin Rivers U.S. Supreme Court United Washington wheelchair Yeah younger prisoners