The Meaning of Life

November 15, 2018
While battles against the death penalty and for freeing the wrongfully accused from death row garner broad press coverage, the effort to abolish life sentences has largely been overlooked. Mauer and Nellis, who work to promote criminal justice reform, have crafted an impressive blend of statistical analysis and personal experiences to reveal the story of life sentencing in the U.S. While the figures are troubling and should set off alarms, it is the stories that invoke emotional responses. The highlighted cases of people who are sentenced to life for nonviolent crimes, suspect prosecutions, and generally eye-popping reasons will galvanize readers. It will likely not be surprising to see the manner in which race, class, and gender play roles in sentencing, with the harshly incarcerated female victims of domestic violence marking yet another realm of which the #MeToo movement must take notice. Finally, the degree of detail in this well-titled book makes it an excellent resource and of great value to those seeking a way to effect positive social change.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)