On the meaning of life: A qualitative interpretive meta synthesis of the lived experience of life without parole

Abstract

Summary This Qualitative Interpretive Meta Synthesis (QIMS) develops a more complete understanding of the lived experience of serving a Life Without Parole (LWOP) sentence by synthesizing the results of existing qualitative studies focused on this population. The four studies selected for this QIMS contain interviews with 86 male prisoners serving a sentence of LWOP. The current synthesis uses phenomenology and grounded theory as methods to obtain a new understanding from the limited data on this specialized vulnerable population. Findings The conceptual model emerging from this QIMS indicates that prisoners experience the sentence of LWOP with feelings of deep loss which mimic the grief response of the dying patient as described by Kubler-Ross (1969). Upon the initial shock of sentencing and imprisonment, inmates pass through stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and ultimately, acceptance. In order to cope with the harsh reality of life imprisonment, ‘lifers’ find ways to exercise personal choice, keep a positive outlook, and forge meaning from their sufferings. Those who are successful in these tasks discover great resilience. Applications This synthesis suggests that the application of grief and resilience theories may be relevant with prisoners and other similarly marginalized populations coping with extraordinary loss of self. Given the potential of inmates in this study to discover personal resilience and engage in attempts at social reconciliation, policy makers should consider whether a sentence of LWOP shortchanges both inmates and society.