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Life Sentences Spike in Recent Years – Especially in Utah
Loaded on Feb. 4, 2015
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2015, page 26
Life Sentences Spike in Recent Years – Especially in Utah
A recent research study and news reports have revealed an increase in the number of prisoners across the nation – and particularly in Utah – sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
In a …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Ninth Circuit: Abstention Inapplicable in First Amendment Cases, by Mark Wilson
- Tennessee Jail Breached Duty to Provide Medical Care; Damages Trial Ordered, by David Reutter
- Change in Florida Jail Policy Leads to Increased Homelessness, by David Reutter
- Prison Legal News Interviews Musician Wayne Kramer, by Paul Wright
- Eighth Circuit: Atheist Prisoner States Coerced Religious-Based Treatment Claim, by Mark Wilson
- Georgia’s High Court Finds No Categorical Right to Counsel in Civil Contempt Proceedings, by David Reutter
- GEO Group Rescinds $6 Million Donation to Name Stadium at Florida University, by David Reutter
- Private Prison Companies Reject Resolutions to Fund Rehabilitative, Reentry Programs
- Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Suit Claiming Lack of Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Violence in Brazil Connected to Abuse, Gangs, Overcrowding
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s ADA/RA Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Misconduct at Washington State Civil Commitment Center as Concern Grows Over Releases, by David Reutter
- Georgia’s Execution Drug Secrecy Law Found Constitutional, by David Reutter
- Native American Prisoners Have Right to Tobacco in Religious Ceremonies, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit: Indefinite Stay and Denial of Guardian was Abuse of Discretion, by Mark Wilson
- For Shame! Public Shaming Sentences on the Rise, by David Reutter
- Book Review: Burning Down the House, by Nell Bernstein (The New Press, June 2014). 384 pages, $26.95, by Hannah K. Gold
- Second Circuit: Brady Claim Not Barred by Heck, by Mark Wilson
- Eighth Circuit: Ruling Required on Prison Officials’ Qualified Immunity Defense
- Eighth Circuit: Jail Guards Denied Summary Judgment for Use of Force against Detainees, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit: Dismissal due to Nonpayment of Filing Fee Requires Assessment, by Mark Wilson
- United States, Britain Offer Training to “Improve” Prison Conditions in Afghanistan
- California: Local Ordinances Banning Sex Offenders from Parks Invalidated, by Mark Wilson
- Montana: Extradition Costs Not Recoverable as Restitution, by Mark Wilson
- Life Sentences Spike in Recent Years – Especially in Utah
- Court Finds PLN’s Rights Violated by Arizona Jail; Case Settles for $15,293
- Eighth Circuit: Deliberate Indifference Standard GovernsMedical Care for Civilly Committed Detainees, by Mark Wilson
- Eighth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Jail Prisoner Raped in Unlocked Cell; $60,000 Verdict at Trial, by Mark Wilson
- Wisconsin Prison Guard Union Faces Challenges, by Derek Gilna
- Five Deaths in Eleven Months at California Jail Spark Grand Jury Probe
- Washington DOSA Revocation Requires Credit for Community Custody Time, by Mark Wilson
- Texas: $100 Medical Copay for Prisoners Generates Less Revenue than Expected, by Matthew Clarke
- Dialing with Dollars: How County Jails Profit From Immigrant Detainees, by Leticia Miranda
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
More from these topics:
- Rising Deaths in Los Angeles County Jail Linked to Longer Stays, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug Overdose, Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Reduction of Prison Population.
- What 911 Calls Reveal About Jail Operations, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Statistics/Trends, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Staff Training.
- California Grand Jury Report on Deaths at Riverside County Jails, Sept. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Statistics/Trends, Public Records.
- Court-Ordered Report on Jail Voting in Massachusetts Finds Low-Rate, Sept. 1, 2026. Elections, Advocacy, Statistics/Trends, Public Records, Voting Rights.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- Florida Kills Two Prisoners on Same Day, Both Elderly, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Death Penalty, Death Row, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- “Safe Inside” Review Paid for by DOJ Found Prisons Grew Much Deadlier in Five Year-Period, Aug. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Assaults on Staff.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Prison Policy Initiative Updates Its “Money of Mass Incarceration” Report, Aug. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Forfeiture, Effects of Mass Incarceration, Ability to Pay.
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Due Process, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Pretrial Detention and Detainees.

