Problematizing Perpetual Punishment: Tensions and Impacts Across News Reports and Lived Realities of the Canadian Life Sentence

Abstract

Life sentences are poorly understood across public and policy spheres; however, the sentence’s application continues to rise. Presently, 27.8% of the federal prison population are sentenced to life imprisonment. To generate insight into the sentence and address the dearth of research surrounding it, this paper presents findings from a qualitative content analysis of 46 news articles about life-sentenced people gaining parole. Media analysis is a fertile ground for this investigation, as media is a powerful, socially-organizing force with the potential to sway public opinions and influence policy. Results demonstrate that news media does not focus on the actual context of the sentence, nor the composition of who receives it. Instead, life-sentenced people are portrayed as archetypal killers who commit egregious violence and who are purported to present indefinite risk. Ultimately, this study finds that the news reports analyzed here seek to communicate a systemic failure in the application of justice, which functions to legitimatize calls for increased state power and punitiveness