Pennsylvania has two death sentences. The obvious one torments the prisoner on death row for ten years and then kills him. The second death sentence is called life in prison. The prisoner dies from old age. There's no parole, no clemency, no rehabilitation. Pennsylvania doesn't like its citizens and doesn't believe in their rehabilitation. Most life sentences are for convictions of murder which is certainly a heinous crime. In Pennsylvania many persons get sentences equivalent to life, but "in numbers," as they say. Sentences of 60, 80 even 120 years are not uncommon. Those are death sentences. Pennsylvania is that kind of a place. At present there are over 4100 persons serving life sentences in Pennsylvania (mostly Afro-Americans) and over 6500 serving excessively long sentences (mostly blacks convicted of robbery or drug offenses). Each one cost the taxpayers in excess of $33,000 per year. They are without hope or prospects. Pennsylvania isn't interested in rehabilitation or helping people. Doing good is not in the state's political thinking. Persons serving life sentences have special problems, but they also give the prison system its stability. Generally, lifers are the "best" and most "normal" prisoners; trying to survive in the most hostile of environments. The following menu lists the articles we've published relating to lifers and life sentences. If you have your own stories about lifers, please email them to us for publication. Doing Life Lifers Should Be Considered For Parole Pennsylvania Lifer Heroically Escaped Prison Isiah "Buttons" Givens: Philadelphia DA Railroaded An Innocent Man for Murder A Summary of Pennsylvania's Life Imprisonment Laws Letter About Women Lifers Revealing Lifers As The Really Are A Lingering Death By Inches Lying Cops Couldn't Keep a Black Lifer in Prison Putting Children in Prison for Their Entire Lives Death Stalks Pennsylvania's Prisons The Real First Murder Victim Punishing Lifers For Good Behavior Lifers' Union Advocacy Group Pennsylvania Lifers' Support The Lifers of Smithfield State Prison Help a Wrongly Convicted Lifer The Unusual Case of Tim Masters Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectible Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "War doesn't leave people as they were" Anne Baxter in The North Star, 1943 You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the Main Menu Go to our site's Search Engine Send us Your Comments or Input.