Introduction

Abstract

Abstract The introductory chapter lays out the puzzle surrounding life without the possibility of parole (LWOP). LWOP holds a unique place in the landscape of extreme forms of punishment. It stands at the intersection between the death penalty and long-term imprisonment. While recognized as being particularly cruel since at least Beccaria, relatively few empirical studies have focused on LWOP’S extreme severity. Despite growing awareness and evidence of LWOP’S cruelty, the punishment has become a rather ordinary practice in the American sentencing toolkit. The expansion and proliferation of LWOP in America stands in sharp contrast with the rest of the world where the punishment is deemed reprehensible. LWOP’S growth in the United States is particularly remarkable for the apparent dispassion with which the American public and various penal state actors have embraced and accepted such a practice. Other than prisoners-led organizations, like The Other Death Penalty Project, there are very few strong and vocal activist groups campaigning against the punishment. By contrast, strong and vocal groups have campaigned against prison overcrowding and death sentences. While sharing features with both imprisonment and the death penalty, LWOP’S extreme severity has not triggered similar attention and reaction. Instead, the punishment has even been actively promoted by a number of criminal justice actors including those who traditionally challenge degrading and inhumane treatments. This book investigates how, using the development of LWOP in the Californian death penalty context as an example, extreme forms of imprisonment can become normalized.