The Forgotten Men

Serving a Life without Parole Sentence

By Margaret E. Leigey

SERIES: Critical Issues in Crime and Society

Rutgers University Press

Today there are approximately fifty thousand prisoners in American prisons serving life without parole, having been found guilty of crimes ranging from murder and rape to burglary, carjacking, and drug offences. In The Forgotten Men, criminologist Margaret E. Leigey provides an insightful account of a group of aging inmates imprisoned for at least twenty years, with virtually no chance of release.

These men make up one of the most marginalized segments of the contemporary U.S. prison population. Considered too dangerous for rehabilitation, ignored by prison administrators, and overlooked by courts disinclined to review such sentences, these prisoners grow increasingly cut off from family and the outside world. Drawing on in-depth interviews with twenty-five such prisoners, Leigey gives voice to these extremely marginalized inmates and offers a look at how they struggle to cope. She reveals, for instance, that the men believe that permanent incarceration is as inhumane as capital punishment, calling life without parole “the hard death penalty.” Indeed, after serving two decades in prison, some wished that they had received the death penalty instead. Leigey also recounts the ways in which the prisoners attempt to construct meaningful lives inside the bleak environment where they will almost certainly live out their lives.

Every state in the union (except Alaska) has the life-without-parole sentencing option, despite its controversial nature and its staggering cost to the taxpayer. The Forgotten Men provides a much-needed analysis of the policies behind life-without-parole sentencing, arguing that such sentences are overused and lead to serious financial and ethical dilemmas.

The Forgotten Men is a thorough, insightful, and engaging book that provides rich information and in-depth analysis in order to accurately convey the realities of life in prison.Leigey’s book is a unique and cutting-edge contribution.' Ronald Aday, professor of sociology, Middle Tennessee State University

The Forgotten Men is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the human costs of mass incarceration in America. A compelling and compassionate account of injustice, inhumane punishment and the resilience of the human spirit, the book lays bare the devastating consequences of unnecessarily extreme sentencing policies. Jennifer Turner, author of A Living Death: Life without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses

On the whole, the author has accomplished her purpose of helping those that read her book to remember the forgotten men. Achieving that is an accomplishment in itself. One can only hope that other researchers follow Leigey’s lead to help paint a broader picture of the dehumanizing nature of LWOP sentences. Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books

A profound and moving work of social science that explains in compelling prose what it means to sentence human beings to live and die in prison. The forgotten men whose life stories frame this book will be long remembered by students of penology. Leigey’s superb book will guide my research and teaching in the coming years.'
Robert Johnson, professor of justice, law and criminology at American University

By carefully recording the decades-long experiences of those sentenced to permanent incarceration, Leigey brings a much needed degree of humanity to these forgotten men. In so doing, her important contribution impels readers to consider the purpose served by lifelong prison sentences. Ashley Nellis, The Sentencing Project

A thought-provoking and challenging book that will generate debates, controversy and disagreements about the issue of imposing life without parole … This book should be read by everyone - wardens, correctional staff, medical staff, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, parole boards, state directors, commissioners, victims and victims' families. Corrections Today

The meticulous work conducted here highlights the largely hidden costs of a life behind bars. It illuminates not only how lifers find hope in a largely hopeless situation but also how these inmates find ways of making the life they have behind bars meaningful, not only to themselves but to those around them. Ultimately, the book is a portrait of mankind’s ability to not only survive in the face of terrible hardship but also to establish meaning and purpose in an environment that regularly reinforces the notion that an inmate’s life has neither. American Journal of Sociology