Searching for Hope Where Hope Goes to Die

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

This article features ethnographic oral history research examining how individuals sentenced to Life Without Parole (LWOP) before the age of 26, who have served 25 or more years of their sentence, understand hope and what factors shape variation in their understanding over time. All interviewees are currently serving a term of LWOP at R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California. This study distinguishes between the first, second, and third decade of the interviewee’s incarceration and has a threefold sociological focus: the habitus and field of each interviewee; their understanding of agency and pathways available to them; and their interpretations of their mode of hoping. Analysis found that individuals sentenced to LWOP (also known as ‘the other death penalty’) prior to the age of 26 are capable of rehabilitation and great internal transformation throughout their lifespans. The improvement in the condition of the interviewees’ habitus and position within the field, coupled with a greater understanding of their agency and the pathways available, birthed a renewed sense of hopefulness even within an arguably hopeless situation. These findings are important to academia and policy makers alike because they can inform future discourse and policy decisions regarding one of California’s most controversial punishments.

Author

• John Winkelman, University of California, Irvine