Life imprisonment that has no parole provision is in other terms known as the “penultimate punishment”. It is the second highest punishment after the death punishment and is regarded to have even more felt and dire consequences on the offender/the prisoner than any other form. This form of punishment has had several impacts on the offenders as well as the communities in which they live in (Larry 2009).
Offenders that have been previously convicted under similar counts know that life in prison is not easy hence they are likely not become repeat perpetrators of violent crimes. When asked of their experiences in prison a group of prisoners proved and stated that LWOP is way more an effective and painful punishment compared to the death penalty. More of them were now leading normal lives and rehabilitated lives compared to those who were to face a definite death penalty. Those facing the death penalty had nothing to lose; sometimes would cause and even result to acts of violence in the prison areas (Todd etal, 2011). Death penalty contravenes the human rights of a person as the freedom to of a person life is interfered with. Lifetime imprisonment gives the offenders another chance at correcting their behaviors in a controlled environment.
The general public has been seen to have significantly benefited in terms of the LWOP. Fewer incidents of violent crime rates have been reported in the associated areas this can be attributed to two facts that have arisen; one of these is that the repeat and offenders have been locked up in controlled correctional environments, here they face the full force of the law and can’t commit crimes: another was that the other previous offenders under the watch of the law and their parole superiors tend to live and avoid acts of criminal intent they start living lives that are of normalcy and beneficial to the community (Todd et al 2011).
Safer neighborhoods and even easier administration of justice can be felt. Some of the areas that were seen to be hashed in terms of security have improved significantly as more of the offenders either quit the life of crime and some are wrapped into the arms of the law (Larry 2009). While these has more than an appropriate audience who support intolerance to crime these has resulted in even more youths being captured and convicted whereas a growing majority of aging felons in on the increase in the prison facilities. This is seen as a way in which some of the young societies members can be discouraged from engaging in lives of crime they will not want to live the rest of their lives in locked up cells with only a single opening as their source of sunlight behind bars(Larry 2009). The penal system may be harsh but its positive effects protect the society from falling victim of its own undoing’s in the present and in the future (Todd 2009).
The system is for the good of the society and will only serve in accordance to the best interest of its own kind hence the strict arm of the law
References
Clear, T. R., Cole, G. F., & Reisig, M. D. (2011). American corrections. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Siegel, L. J. (2009). Criminology. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
