UC Press Blog

“The tough-looking blonde over there,” is how Darlene was described to us nearly fifteen years ago when we launched our ongoing project with formerly incarcerated women in Massachusetts. Our first conversation was brief; her words were clipped. She gave the impression that she was annoyed, that she was in a hurry to go somewhere important.

Death by Prison is an ambitious overview of the rise of life sentences for American prisoners. In the interview below, author Christopher Seeds explains some of the key insights from the book.Christopher Seeds is Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California