Life sentences fall in Pennsylvania but are still among highest in nation
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More than 5,000 people are serving life sentences without parole (LWOP) in Pennsylvania today — one of the largest populations in the country, per a new report from the Sentencing Project.
The big picture: The number of people serving LWOP in the U.S. has risen 68% since 2003, according to the criminal justice reform group's analysis published Wednesday.
- Pennsylvania has the third largest population among states, despite a decrease of more than 300 people in recent years, the report found.
- Florida has the most: 10,915 out of the 56,000 nationwide.
Zoom out: The number of people in the U.S. serving life sentences, with or without parole, jumps to 200,000. (That figure includes people serving what the Sentencing Project calls "virtual" life sentences, meaning 50 years or more.)
- Nearly half are Black, a disparity reflected in Pennsylvania's prison system.
Most life sentences are for homicide convictions.
- But many in Pennsylvania and Michigan are also serving life for felony murder — an unintentional homicide that occurs during a separate felony crime.
Case in point: Derek Lee, an Allegheny man sentenced to life without parole in 2016 for his role in a robbery in which his accomplice killed a homeowner. The case was argued before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court late last year.
- It could have far-reaching implications for the more than 1,200 people in Pennsylvania serving life sentences for felony murder, about half of whom are Philadelphians, per the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
What they're saying: Pennsylvania is "behind the curve" in its approach to handing out life sentences for felony murder, Celeste Barry, one of the report's authors, tells Axios.
- The Sentencing Project wants to abolish life sentences, arguing that they're ineffective at deterring crime and that more money should be put toward rehabilitation programs.
- The group is pushing for a cap on all prison terms at 20 years for adults and 15 years for youth, barring "unusual circumstances."
The bottom line: The U.S. accounts for a fraction of the world's population but about 40% of people serving life sentences.