Margaret E. Leigey's Books

The Forgotten Men

Serving a Life Without Parole Sentence

By: Margaret E. Leigey

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The Forgotten Men

Serving a Life Without Parole Sentence

By: Margaret E. Leigey

Today there are approximately fifty thousand prisoners in American prisons serving life without parole, having been found guilty of crimes ranging from murder and rape to burglary, carjacking, and drug offences. In The Forgotten Men, criminologist Margaret E. Leigey provides an insightful account of a group of aging inmates imprisoned for at least twenty years, with virtually no chance of release. These men make up one of the most marginalized segments of the contemporary U.S. prison population. Considered too dangerous for rehabilitation, ignored by prison administrators, and overlooked by courts disinclined to review such sentences, these prisoners grow increasingly cut off from family and the outside world. Drawing on in-depth interviews with twenty-five such prisoners, Leigey gives voice to these extremely marginalized inmates and offers a look at how they struggle to cope. She reveals, for instance, that the men believe that permanent incarceration is as inhumane as capital punishment, calling life without parole “the hard death penalty.” Indeed, after serving two decades in prison, some wished that they had received the death penalty instead. Leigey also recounts the ways in which the prisoners attempt to construct meaningful lives inside the bleak environment where they will almost certainly live out their lives. Every state in the union (except Alaska) has the life-without-parole sentencing option, despite its controversial nature and its staggering cost to the taxpayer. The Forgotten Men provides a much-needed analysis of the policies behind life-without-parole sentencing, arguing that such sentences are overused and lead to serious financial and ethical dilemmas.

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Page Count

243

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Rutgers University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813569494

ISBN 13

9780813569499

Life Without Parole

Worse Than Death?

By: Ross Kleinstuber,Jeremiah Coldsmith,Margaret E. Leigey,Sandra Joy

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Life Without Parole

Worse Than Death?

By: Ross Kleinstuber,Jeremiah Coldsmith,Margaret E. Leigey,Sandra Joy

This book is an in-depth critical examination of all pertinent aspects of life without parole (LWOP). Empirically assessing key arguments that advance LWOP, including as an alternative to the death penalty, it reveals that not only is the punishment cruel while not providing any societal benefits, it is actually detrimental to society. Over the last 30 years, LWOP has exploded in the United States. While the use of capital punishment over that same time period has declined, it must be recognized that LWOP is, in fact, a hidden death sentence. It is, however, implemented in a way that allows society to largely ignore this truth. While capital punishment has rightfully been subject to intense debate and scholarship, LWOP has mostly escaped such scrutiny. In fact, LWOP has been touted by both death penalty abolitionists and by tough-on-crime conservatives, which has allowed it to flourish under the radar. Specifically, abolitionists have advanced LWOP as a palatable alternative to capital punishment, which they perceive as inhumane, error-prone, costly, and racially biased. Conservatives, meanwhile, advocate for LWOP as an effective means of fighting crime, a just form of retribution, and necessary tool for managing incorrigible offenders. This book seeks to tap into and help inform this growing debate by subjecting these key arguments to empirical scrutiny. The results of those analyses fail to produce any evidence in support of any of those various justifications and therefore suggest that LWOP should be abolished and replaced with life sentences that come with parole eligibility after a maximum of 25 years. The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of criminology and criminal justice and will also have crossover appeal into the fields of law, political science, and sociology. It will also appeal to criminal justice professionals, lawmakers, activists, and attorneys, as well as death penalty abolitionists, opponents of mass incarceration, advocates for sentencing reform, and supporters of prisoners’ rights.

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Page Count

292

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000574717

ISBN 13

9781000574715

The Forgotten Men

Serving a Life Without Parole Sentence

By: Margaret E. Leigey

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The Forgotten Men

Serving a Life Without Parole Sentence

By: Margaret E. Leigey

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

243

Publisher

Rutgers University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813569494

ISBN 13

9780813569499

Book's by Margaret E. Leigey

The Forgotten Men

The Forgotten Men

Life Without Parole

Life Without Parole

The Forgotten Men

The Forgotten Men

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