Hard Time Is Getting Harder

A recent report documents the sharp rise in the number of people serving life sentences for various crimes. That number has increased 83% in the past 10 years, do to "three strikes" laws and various other initiatives. While I realize that life in prison is probably appropriate in some cases, my experience has taught me that throwing someone in the joint and giving them no hope of ever getting out is every bit as cruel and unusual as the death penalty. If we even pretend that prison should be more than a warehouse, we need to let every inmate have some hope of getting out, even if many never actually do.