How long is a sentence of Life in prison in america?

This depends on the jurisdiction and the case in question. No general answer is possible. There are 50 states, various territories and the federal government each with their own laws.

For more than a decade, following the lead of states like California, most states now have statutes that mandate "life means life", and you must serve a minimum of 85% of your sentence on lesser crimes. It is only convicts sentenced on older guidelines that have the possibility(near zero) of a parole hearing yielding freedom after 25 years. This applies to the feds as well - the statutes of most(all?) states are generally poor copies of the original Federal ones. Don't go to prison!

First answer by ID403764719. Last edit by Hflesko. Contributor trust: 98 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 20 [recommend question]

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