Too Easy to Keep

Life-Sentenced Prisoners and the Future of Mass Incarceration

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Pub Date Dec 19 2018 | Archive Date Jan 21 2019

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Description

“Some guys don’t break any rules. They do their jobs, they go to school, they don’t commit any infractions, they keep their cells clean and tidy, and they follow the rules. And usually those are our LWOPs [life without parole]. They’re usually our easiest keepers.”
 
Too Easy to Keep provides much-needed attention to a neglected group of American prisoners – the large and growing population of those serving life sentences.  Relying heavily on extensive interviews with lifers and with prison staff, Too Easy to Keep charts the challenges that a life sentence poses—both to the prisoner and the staffer charged with caring for them.  Surprisingly, many lifers show remarkable resilience and craft lives of notable purpose.  Yet their eventual decline will pose challenges for the institutions that house them.  Rich in data, Too Easy to Keep illustrates the harsh consequences of excessive sentences, and demonstrates a keen need to reconsider punishment policy.

“Some guys don’t break any rules. They do their jobs, they go to school, they don’t commit any infractions, they keep their cells clean and tidy, and they follow the rules. And usually those are our...

Advance Praise

“By giving agency to prisoners through narrative, Steve Herbert draws into sharp relief the limits of the narrow correctional labeling of life-sentenced prisoners as ‘easy keepers,’ providing deep insights that will be of great interest to diverse audiences.”—Benjamin Fleury-Steiner, University of Delaware


“If one were to read only one book on life-sentenced prisoners, this would be it. Herbert writes beautifully, clearly, and compellingly, reinforcing and extending the main points of a growing body of research on lifer adjustment.”—Robert Johnson, American University

“By giving agency to prisoners through narrative, Steve Herbert draws into sharp relief the limits of the narrow correctional labeling of life-sentenced prisoners as ‘easy keepers,’ providing deep...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780520300514
PRICE $27.95 (USD)
PAGES 172