Life after Life Imprisonment [Hardcover]

This new and important title explores one of the most contentious and sensitive topics in criminal justice: the release and resettlement of life-sentenced offenders.Life after Life Imprisonmentprovides an in-depth analysis of the post-prison experiences of 138 discretionary life-sentenced offenders, all of whom were released from prison across England and Wales during the mid-1990s. Using accessible and engaging data the book examines key legal developments within the criminal justice system for discretionary life-sentenced offenders, explores the frontline experiences of criminal justice practitioners charged with the responsibility of supervising life-sentenced offenders and analyses the 'stories' or life narratives of a group of individuals who have committed some of the most serious crimes. The book also examines the process of recall for life-sentenced prisoners and explores key factors associated with failure in the community. This work therefore contributes to a variety of different areas of theoretical concern to legal scholars and criminologists as well as to applied areas of interest to practitioners in the field. Significantly, the book offers a major insight into how societies respond to serious crimes and identifies important elements of successful reintegration for released life-sentenced offenders.

Introduction
Part I: Introducing Discretionary Lifers
1: Discretionary Life Sentences: The Legal and Political Context
2: Investigating Life after Life Imprisonment
Part II: The Role of the Probation Service
3: After Life Imprisonment: The Role of Supervising Officers
4: Living on Life Licence: Lifers' Perceptions of Supervision
Part III: Desistance and Persistence
5: Living a Life More Ordinary: Lifers' Narratives of Change
6: Roadblocks to Resettlement: The Significance of Recall Conclusions
7: Conclusion
Introduction
Part I: Introducing Discretionary Lifers
1. Discretionary Life Sentl£q