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Record Number of "Lifers" Now in U.S. Prisons
Loaded on July 15, 2004
published in Prison Legal News
July, 2004, page 19
Record Number of "Lifers" Now in U.S. Prisons
A new national study by The Sen tencing Project released on May 11, 2004, finds that a record one of every eleven (9.4%) prisoners in the United States is now serving a life sentence. The number of "lifers" nationwide 127,000 has increased …
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More from this issue:
- Abu Ghraib, USA, by Anne-Marie Cusac
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Washington DOC Fined $60,000 for Bogus Water Pollution Reports
- Thirty Three Years after Attica: Many more Blacks in prison, but not as guards, by Peter Wagner
- Is It Criminal to Be a Muslim Civilian or Military Prison Chaplain?
- Supreme Court Holds Guantanamo Detainees Can Challenge Detention
- Virginia Prison Drives Women to Depression and Suicide, by Gary Hunter
- California Agrees to Provide Kosher Prison Diet Program, by John E Dannenberg
- Tennessee Prison Audit Blasts DOC, CCA and CMS, by Michael Rigby
- Oklahoma Man Misidentified as Pedophile Awarded $3.7 Million, by Michael Rigby
- Overcrowding Forces Alabama Prisoners Into Private Prison Web, by Gary Hunter
- Arizona Prisoners Seize Tower; State Officials Point Fingers, by Michael Rigby
- BJS Looks at Probation, Parole in 2002
- Texas Jury Awards BOP Prisoner $4 Million for Rape by Guard, by Alex Coolman
- $3 Million in Settlements for Wrongful Illinois Convictions
- Record Number of "Lifers" Now in U.S. Prisons
- Florida Jail Pays Prisoner's Family $2.5 Million in Methadone Withdrawal Death
- BJS Finds Low Recidivism among Released Sex Offenders
- New York Prisoner Awarded $800,000 for Undiagnosed, Untreated Throat Cancer
- $1.5 Million Verdict in NYC Jail Medical Malpractice Death
- Arizona Prison Director Has Poor Track Record, by Michael Rigby
- Private Probation Companies Prove Corrupt in Tennessee, by Gary Hunter
- Controversy and Lawsuits Surround South Texas Private Prison Deals
- Warden Sentenced for Stealing Dali Painting From Rikers Island Jail
- California Class Action Lawsuit Targets Unauthorized Prison Phone Charges
- Court Vacates Connecticut Jury Award of $30,000 for Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by David Reutter
- Wisconsin Contract for Faith-Based Program Does Not Violate First Amendment, by Bob Williams
- Washington State Prison Continues To Pollute Local Environment Despite Repeated Citations, by John E Dannenberg
- Michigan Supreme Court Allows Seizure of Prisoner's Pension Despite ERISA
- Failure to Treat Transsexual for Self-Mutilation States Claim
- Section 1983 Complaint Dismissed as Mixed Petition, But Amendment Allowed
- Oklahoma "Civil Death" Statute Does Not Preclude Prisoner Tort Actions
- Counsel Appointed to Brief Questions of PLRA Total Exhaustion and Sandin Confinement Conditions for Atypicality
- No PLRA Fee Cap When Injunctive Relief Obtained, by John E Dannenberg
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- Qualified Immunity Test Hinges Upon SHU Sentence Imposed, Not SHU Time Served
- Oregon Trial in Prison Did Not Violate Constitution
- Interest on Legal Financial Obligations Not Dischargeable in Bankruptcy
- California Sex Offender Prison Classification Label Approved for Dismissed Charge, by John E Dannenberg
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- Prisoner Allowed to Amend Retaliation, Legal Mail Complaint
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- Ninth Circuit Dismisses California's Motion To Exclude Female Prisoners From Medical Suit, by John E Dannenberg
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More from these topics:
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- U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”, March 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Bail/Pretrial Release, Arrest/Arraignment.
- Minnesota Study Shows Disproportionate Rate of Health and Mental Problems for Recently Incarcerated, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Medical, Statistics/Trends, Mental Health, Health care.
- Alaska’s DOC Was $24 Million Over-Budget Last Year, Spent Most on Overtime, March 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Guards/Staff.
- Idaho Prisons Are Full. Costs for Incarcerating Inmates in Jails and Out of State Are Skyrocketing, Feb. 1, 2026. Out of State Transfers, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Overcrowding.
- Study Finds Parole Hearings and Grants Continue to Fall, Jan. 1, 2026. Parole Board Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- Wisconsin DOC Is Not Tracking Work Release Data, Jan. 1, 2026. Work Release, Prison Labor, Statistics/Trends, Fair Labor Standards Act.
- New York State Closes Yet Another Prison, Dec. 1, 2025. Transfers, Work Strikes, Statistics/Trends, Staffing, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Prisoners and Detainees in the Gulf Coast Are Particularly at Risk from Natural Disasters, Dec. 1, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Shelter, Exposure to Heat, Hurricane Katrina, Immigration Detention.
- Ex-Wife of Minnesota DOC Commissioner Sentenced for Poisoning Attempt on Son, Dec. 1, 2025. Out of State Transfers, Sentencing, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.

