“I Had No Choice but to Grow:” Exploring Growth and Transformation Among a National Sample of Adults Serving Juvenile Life without Parole

Background and Purpose: Federal policies have been changing in the past two decades in response to increased knowledge about the development of adolescent brains, including policies related to sentencing kids who have been convicted of homicide crimes. Many of these kids were sentenced to life without parole (JLWOP) until 2012 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life without parole sentences are unconstitutional (Miller v. Alabama). They later ruled that anyone serving a JLWOP sentence pre-Miller was eligible for resentencing and possible release (Montgomery v. Louisiana, 2016), affecting ~2,900 incarcerated people across the United States. However, each state was left to make its own decisions on JLWOP (re)sentencing in response to these federal rulings; approximately 1,200 have since been released. Previous literature suggests individuals sentenced to JLWOP experience personal transformation during their incarceration. However, research to date has been limited to small, regional or state-based samples who have already been released. This study explores how a national sample of currently incarcerated adults who were originally sentenced to JLWOP describe their personal growth and transformation while incarcerated.

Methods: The data for this project come from the Second Chances Study, the first national outcomes study of people sentenced to JLWOP. Self-administered paper surveys were sent through USPS mail to the state Department of Corrections that granted us permission to conduct the survey, resulting in a sample of incarcerated adults from 20 states. Surveys were life-course-informed and included measures about early childhood experiences while incarcerated, preparation for reentry, and a range of validated measures related to health and wellbeing. It also included open-ended questions related to growth and transformation. We used a phenomenological framework to conduct thematic analysis across two cycles of coding (open & pattern) in Atlas.ti. Our codebook included a combination of inductive and deductive codes.

Results: Respondents (n=430) were 29-73 years old (M=43.5) and were an average of 25.5 years into their sentence. Respondents described their personal transformation processes, with many common themes related to their change such as natural maturation and forced change due to prison culture. Respondents also attributed their growth to specific events (e.g., experiences of loss), relationships (both in and outside of prison), faith (with religious affiliation and without), and participation in education and programming when it was available. Respondents also reflected on the importance of mentorship and accountability.

Conclusions and Implications: The results from this study affirm that life-sentenced individuals have the capacity for transformation and growth, regardless of the variability in state contexts and the harshness of a carceral environment. Findings also suggest there is value in second-look legislation to address the harms of mass incarceration, with benefits for the person incarcerated, as well as their communities inside and outside the walls of prison. Additional implications include the importance of providing social-emotional support, education, and programming throughout every individual’s incarceration, regardless of their sentence.