Life without parole and euthanasia: The future unintended consequences of current sentencing policies

Canada and some European nations have authorized different forms of medically assisted death (euthanasia) for their citizens. Naturally, these rights have been extended to incarcerated people as well. It is possible that jurisdictions in the United States will authorize euthanasia for prisoners in states where medically assisted death is permissible for nonincarcerated citizens. It is important for criminal justice scholars to prepare for the controversies that will follow. The United States incarcerates nearly 56,000 people who are serving life without the possibility of parole, and, in total, more than 200,000 people are sentenced to some form of life imprisonment. We use data from the National Corrections Reporting Program, 2000–2019 to examine trends in life sentencing, examine the characteristics of 18,285 life without parole (LWOP) cases. These “lifers” accumulate inside our correctional system and most never leave alive. In the brave new world of euthanasia, what conditions will they need to meet before they can seek release through death? It is argued that LWOP sentences are unethical and unconstitutional, just as euthanasia policies are argued on similar grounds. This paper seeks to provoke a discussion of the ethical and legal aspects of these two controversial policies by asking which is worse: “life” or death.