NCJ Number
99942
Date Published
1985
Length
281 pages
Annotation
This analysis of policy and practice regarding the release of British offenders given life sentences concludes that the program of release under supervision has been successful.
Abstract
The debate over capital punishment and policy developments that led to the abolition of capital punishment in 1965 are traced. The operation and consequences of early release of offenders given life sentences are analyzed using a sample of 239 men. Sixty-four of these were released during the years 1960-64 and were mostly sentenced before the 1957 Homicide Act that reduced but did not abolish capital punishment. The other 175 subjects were released between 1970-74 and had mostly been sentenced after the death penalty was abolished. Data came from official records and from interviews with some offenders and their supervising officers. The analysis focused on recidivism, the reintegration of released lifers into the community, the characteristics of those recalled to prison, the experiences of those who received no supervision, and the experience of those who received life sentences for offenses other than homicide. The nature of supervision by probation officers was also described. Only two men committed a second homicide, one while an inpatient of a mental hospital. Only 6 percent were convicted for serious violence, and the overall recidivism rate was 27 percent during the followup periods which ranged from 5 to 19 years. Supervision was a valuable part of the release program by providing opportunities for oversight and help to lifers. A concluding chapter critically examines the 1983 policy change calling for no release until at least 20 years of a sentence have been served. Data tables, an index, appendixes presenting the study questionnaire and related information, and 116 references are supplied.