Too Easy to Keep: Life-Sentenced Prisoners and the Future of Mass Incarceration (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780520300514)

"Some guys don't break any rules. They do their jobs, they go to school, they don't commit any infractions, they keep their cells clean and tidy, and they follow the rules. And usually those are our LWOPs [life without parole]. They're usually our easiest keepers."

Too Easy to Keep directs much-needed attention toward a neglected group of American prisoners--the large and growing population of inmates serving life sentences. Drawing on extensive interviews with lifers and with prison staff, Too Easy to Keep charts the challenges that a life sentence poses--both to the prisoners and to the staffers charged with caring for them. Surprisingly, many lifers show remarkable resilience and craft lives of notable purpose. Yet their eventual decline will pose challenges to the institutions that house them. Rich in data, Too Easy to Keep illustrates the harsh consequences of excessive sentences and demonstrates a keen need to reconsider punishment policy.


Author: Steve Herbert
ISBN-10: 0520300513
ISBN-13: 9780520300514
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 01/08/2019
Pages: 184
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.50w x 0.70d