Creating Hope for Life-Sentenced Offenders

Abstract

Offenders sentenced to terms of life imprisonment pose special challenges for correctional systems. The Correctional Service of Canada collaborated with nongovernmental agencies to develop programmatic interventions to better prepare this population to survive their prison sentences and transition to the community. This study describes the characteristics of the Canadian lifer population and illustrates how the LifeLine program, first introduced in 1991, has contributed to low rates of recidivism using National Parole Board statistics from 1994 to 2009. The fact that so many life-imprisoned offenders make a successful transition to the community suggests that not only is this program effective, but that the risk to public safety has been carefully managed. Implications for the management of this growing population of offenders are discussed.