NCJ Number
139612
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 12 Issue: 11 Dated: (May 1988) Pages: 9-13
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Most inmates who are serving life terms in U.S. prisons can expect to become eligible for parole at some point, according to Part II of a survey on lifers conducted for Corrections Compendium.
Abstract
Forty-nine States, the District of Columbia, and the Correctional Service of Canada participated in the survey. Only Nevada and the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not respond to the survey. In Canada, 1,722 men and 51 women were serving life sentences at the time of the survey. All were eligible for parole. Ten U.S. States required commutation of a life sentence before parole eligibility, at least for offenders convicted of first-degree murder. Some required commutation only for inmates with a specific sentence of life without parole. Most inmates sentenced to life were convicted of a homicide, but a significant number received a life term for other offenses, including kidnapping, sex, or drug charges and being an habitual criminal. Overall, the amount of time a lifer convicted of first-degree murder must serve before becoming eligible for parole ranged from 7 years in Georgia to 50 years in Missouri (for those sentenced before Oct. 1, 1987). For those convicted of second degree murder, the minimum parole eligibility time ranged from 3 years in Florida to 18 years in New Hampshire. For lifers convicted of crimes other than murder, the amount of time that must be served before parole eligibility ranged from 5 years in Alaska to 40 years in Colorado. Eligibility for community release, which can include work release, educational release, and furloughs or other programs, varied from State to State. It may depend on length of time served, special permission of the corrections commissioner or director, permission or request of the parole board, or approaching parole date. A chart portrays survey information for each of the respondents.