“I am Still Alive”: Exploring Hope Among Incarcerated Lifers

• In Event: The Changing Landscape of Life Sentences: Institutions, Policy, and Lived Experience

Abstract

The passage of Miller and Montgomery made release from prison a possibility for ~2,900 individuals sentenced to life without parole for offenses committed as children (JLWOP). This is the first national study to explore how ~1,700 still incarcerated juvenile lifers characterize hope amid the possibilities and constraints of second look sentencing reform. Using thematic and content analysis, we explored responses to the survey’s open-ended question, “What brings you hope?” Findings reiterate that hope is an important anchor for survival and self-reflection while serving a life sentence, with implications for advocacy (e.g., continue to pursue procedural possibilities for release) and prison programming (e.g., leverage hope to nurture perseverance, adaptability and change).

Authors

• Daphne Brydon, University of Cincinnati

• Leah Ouellet, Rutgers University

• Jeffrey T. Ward, Temple University

• Laura S. Abrams, University of Southern California

• Dylan B. Jackson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health