The Role of Older People Serving Life Sentences in Prison Culture, Order, and Informal Governance

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the role of people serving life sentences in shaping prison culture, informal governance, and institutional stability. Although lifers constitute a growing share of the U.S. prison population (Nellis et al., 2026), research has not adequately accounted for the unique experiences they face as they age and face death in prison. One 20-state analysis of 40,000 prison records found that nearly half of individuals serving LWOP are 50 years old, and one in four of them is at least 60 years old, reflecting a population aging in place (Nellis, 2022). In the public imagination, lifers are portrayed as irredeemably dangerous and resistant to rehabilitation. Yet correctional practitioners and incarcerated peers often describe those who have spent multiple decades in prison as stabilizing figures who mentor younger individuals, transmit institutional norms, and help reduce conflict (Leigey, 2015). As their share of the prison population continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important to understand the caregiving roles they assume, their adaptation to aging within carceral settings, their relationships with younger incarcerated people, their interactions incarcerated hospice workers, and the broader ways in which elderly individuals serving life sentences shape prison climate and institutional order. This study utilizes focus groups to interview approximately 40 incarcerated people serving life with parole (LWP) or life without parole (LWOP) incarcerated individuals and 8-12 incarcerated hospice workers in 4-6 facilities in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is anticipated that these facilities will be within driving distance from American University. This study will also rely on quantitative analysis of name-redacted records of disciplinary actions, program completion, and leadership roles. For this analysis, records of people serving LWP or LWOP will be compared with those from the general prison population. Seed funding will support travel to prisons for interviews, support two undergraduate student summer salaries, and support preliminary analyses. This will position the project to compete effectively for external grants centered on prison climate, humane corrections, and emerging policy discussions around offering a “second look” to people serving life sentences.