Lifers Admitted as Juveniles in the Canadian Prison Population
| Author | Justin Gileno,Rick Ruddell |
| DOI | 10.1177/1473225413505386 |
| Published date | 01 December 2013 |
| Date | 01 December 2013 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Youth Justice
13(3) 234 –248
© The Author(s) 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/1473225413505386
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Lifers Admitted as Juveniles in the
Canadian Prison Population
Rick Ruddell and Justin Gileno
Abstract
One hundred and twenty-one Canadians were serving sentences of life imprisonment on 9 March 2012
for their involvement in crimes that had occurred prior to their 18th birthdays. Some of them had been
sentenced in the 1940s and all will remain under correctional supervision for the rest of their lives. While
these individuals represent a very small percentage of the total lifer population, they are of special interest
given our knowledge about the culpability of children, including a growing body of neurological and social
science research that associates immaturity, risk-taking, impulsivity and poor decision-making with adolescent
brain development.
Keywords
juvenile punishment, legislative change, life imprisonment, youth justice
Introduction
There is increased scholarly attention being paid to the imposition of sentences of life
imprisonment and the impact of that sanction on both offenders and correctional services
(Nellis and King, 2009; Ogletree and Sarat, 2012; Ruddell et al., 2010). Griffin and
O’Donnell (2012: 641), for example, recently compared the proportions of life sentenced
offenders in 27 prison systems and found that this sanction was rarely used in some nations
(e.g. 0.20% in Cyprus) while commonly encountered in other countries, such as Northern
Ireland, that had the largest life-sentenced population (19.3% of all sentenced prisoners).1
Canada, which was not included in the Griffin and O’Donnell sample, imprisons a larger
proportion of Lifers (a label preferred by individuals sentenced to life imprisonment) and
on 15 April 2012 these offenders accounted for 22.7 per cent of the federal correctional
population (Public Safety Canada, 2012: 57). Not only is Canada a leader in imprisoning
Lifers, but that population is projected to increase (Ruddell et al., 2010). That growth has
Corresponding author:
Professor Rick Ruddell, Law Foundation of Saskatchewan Chair in Police Studies, Department of Justice Studies,
University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada.
Email: rick.ruddell@uregina.ca
505386YJJ13310.1177/1473225413505386Youth JusticeRuddell and Gileno
2013
Article
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