The number of Americans serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole (“LWOP”) has grown rapidly over the past generation and now exceeds 50,000. Yet, little empirical research has been conducted on the determinants of LWOP sentences. The dearth of research on LWOP sentencing stands in sharp contrast to the many dozens of studies that have been conducted on the determinants of death sentences–studies that have consistently found that race, gender, and other questionable factors may influence sentencing outcomes. The present study is the first to employ a similar methodology to identify both case- and county-level variables that are correlated with the imposition of discretionary LWOP sentences.

中文翻译：

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生活“有”还是“没有”？杀人罪量刑的实证研究

在过去的一代人中，服刑无期徒刑（“LWOP”）的美国人数量迅速增长，现在已超过 50,000 人。然而，关于 LWOP 句子的决定因素的实证研究很少。对 LWOP 量刑研究的缺乏与对死刑决定因素进行的数十项研究形成鲜明对比——这些研究一致发现种族、性别和其他有问题的因素可能会影响量刑结果。本研究首次采用类似的方法来识别与强加自由裁量 LWOP 句子相关的案例和县级变量。