According to a report by The Sentencing Project published in January 2025, almost 200,000 prisoners in the United States are serving life sentences. The report—the non-profit organization’s sixth national census on this issue—included data related to sentences of life with parole, life without parole (LWOP), and “virtual” or de-facto life (sentences of 20 years or more).

The United States has a disproportionate share of lifers compared with other countries; while it has about 4% of the world’s population, it holds “an estimated 40% of the world’s life-sentenced population, including 83% of persons serving LWOP.”

As of 2024, 56,245 prisoners had LWOP sentences (a record high since data collection began in 2003); 97,160 were serving life with parole; and 41,398 had virtual life—for a total of 194,803, or 16% of the nation’s total prison population. That’s despite a slight decline in the number of lifers since 2020, which “was likely due to a few co-occurring trends: fewer [life] sentences imposed, more releases to parole, and deaths while awaiting parole,” the report noted. Deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic may have also been a contributing factor.

The states with the highest numbers of lifers included California, Texas, and Florida. Almost 40% of California’s prison population was serving life or virtual life sentences. Five states accounted for just over half of the prisoners serving LWOP: Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Michigan. Massachusetts had the highest percentage of LWOP prisoners—17% of the state’s prison population. Only Alaska does not impose LWOP sentences.

States with the largest population of virtual life-sentenced prisoners included Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Tennessee. In Indiana, 11% of the state’s prison population was serving virtual life. Tennessee had the greatest increase in virtual life sentences, which soared 176% from 2020 to 2024.

“Life imprisoned in the United States is a deeply flawed and ineffective tool for crime control, one that fails to deliver on promises of community safety while disproportionately harming communities of color, especially Black Americans,” The Sentencing Project stated. “Far from reducing crime, life imprisonment reflects a punitive mindset that prioritizes retribution over rehabilitation, with devastating consequences for individuals and for society.”

With respect to the demographics of the lifer population, 67% of all prisoners serving life are people of color—mostly Black and Latino. The greatest disparity is among LWOP sentences, with 55% of these prisoners being Black. In four states—Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Maryland—over 70% of the lifer population is Black.

The vast majority of life-sentenced prisoners are men; 6,829 women were serving life in 2024, or around one of every 11 women in prison. Also, elderly prisoners (those aged 55 and older) comprised over a third of the total lifer population; in four states—Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, and New Jersey—at least half of their life-sentenced prisoners were elderly.

Most lifers were convicted of homicide, with 59% serving life for first-degree murder. Another 21% had committed sex-related crimes. However, 19% of life-sentenced prisoners were convicted of other offenses, such as aggravated assault, robbery, and kidnapping; 2% (over 4,000 people) were serving life for property crimes, and 1% (1,945 people) for drug-related offenses—mostly in the federal prison system.

Lastly, The Sentencing Project reported that over one-third of life-sentenced prisoners were under age 25 when they committed their crimes. “States must confront this data, particularly where young individuals—where cognitive and emotional development are still ongoing—are disproportionately serving life sentences.” Racial disparities exist in the young offender population too, with Black and Latinos comprising a large percentage of those sentenced to life compared with lifers age 25 or older.

The report concluded with recommendations for reforms, which included abolishing LWOP sentences; capping the maximum length of incarceration at 20 years, and 15 years for youthful offenders under age 25; expanding sentencing restrictions for youthful offenders; strengthening parole boards and increasing parole rates, particularly for elderly prisoners; and ending the practice of “stacking” sentences longer than 20 years (running them consecutively), which often results in virtual life sentences.

“Extensive research has demonstrated that life sentences fail to achieve the primary objectives of imprisonment, which include deterrence, incapacitation, retribution, and rehabilitation,” the report stated. With respect to rehabilitation, although studies have shown that released lifers have much lower recidivism rates than other prisoners,” many life-sentenced individuals and people serving long-term sentences are excluded from rehabilitative programs” while incarcerated.

“The large number of people serving life sentences raises critical questions about moral, financial, and justice-related consequences that must be addressed by the nation as well as the states,” The Sentencing Project wrote. “We believe the findings and recommendations documented in this report will contribute to better criminal legal policy decisions and a more humane and effective criminal legal system.”  

Source: A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact or Life and Long-Term Imprisonment in the United States, The Sentencing Project (Jan. 8, 2025)

Subscribe today

Already a subscriber? Login