What does a sentence of Life In Prison mean anymore in America 🇺🇸?

[sage2021]

I think 🤔 maybe at one time in America that a prison sentence of Life In Prison really meant just that - but it doesn't anymore! So, what is your opinion about why they sentence people to Life In Prison and let them out many years early?

[live2dance25]

Because the courts try to reduce recidivism by allowing people out if they have shown to be able to change. Plenty of drug dealers that sold marijuana before it was legalized that were stuck in prison.

[sage2021]

@live2dance25

I wonder what ever happened to Bill Clinton's law of Three Strikes and You're Out? 🤔

[live2dance25]

It’s obvious that more people in prison and more recidivism doesn’t help the system. How about teaching life skills, financial skills, and letting them get a job, without labeling them and throwing them back into the system?

[sage2021]

@live2dance25

That would be great if the prisons could get funds to do that. Good idea 💡

[hafinjun]

Hi Sage, so that's not necessarily true. Guess in a lot of cases, life in prison is always parole at a certain number of years. But depending on the crime, they can also give you life in prison with other possibility of parole, i'm not sure what you have to do to incur that much wrath of the court

[Jamie05rhs]

I agree. The whole thing is a joke. And now they've gotten rid of the death penalty entirely. Buy that campaign was a bait and switch and a con job. Because their entire argument was, "Well, we don't have to kill them. We can just keep them locked up for the rest of their life.". LIES!!

[Pterodon]

Depends. In Texas it means life with the possibility of parole but must serve 40 years before becoming eligible

[NathanDavis]

the original idea of prisons was to reform... convicts, so maybe that's why...