How many inmates are currently serving life sentences in the entire U.S.?

Question

How many additional life sentences are sentenced each year for the entire U.S.?

Answer 1

A total of 127,677 inmates in 2002/2003 were in prison for life, up from fewer than 70,000 in 1992.

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Answer 2

This is a really interesting question. Though I can't find the exact information you're looking for, I thought you might find this supporting data interesting.

Of the 38 states that currently authorize the death penalty, 37 are holding prisoners under sentence of death.

In 2000, the number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of the Federal or State adult correctional authorities was 1,418,406 and overall, the United States imprisoned 2,193,798 persons. [1] The U.S. has experienced a surge in its prison population, quadrupling since 1980, partially as a result of mandated sentences that came about during the "war on drugs" and despite the decline in violent crime and property crime since the early 1990s[2].

The three states with the lowest ratio of imprisoned to civilian population are, as of 2004, Maine (148 per 100,000), Minnesota (171 per 100,000), and Rhode Island (175 per 100,000). The three states with the highest ratio are Louisiana (816 per 100,000), Texas (694 per 100,000), and Mississippi (669 per 100,000). [3]

In terms of federal prison, 57 % of those incarcerated were sentenced for drug offenses. Currently, considering local jails as well, almost a million of those incarcerated are in prison for non-violent crime. [4]

In 2002, roughly 93.2 % of prisoners were male. About 10.4 % of all black males in the United States between the ages of 25 and 29 were sentenced and in prison by year end, compared to 2.4 % of Hispanic males and 1.2 % of white males. [5]

As of June 30, 2005, about 1 out of every 136 U.S. residents was incarcerated either in prison or jail.[6] The total amount being 2,186,230, with 1,438,701 in State and Federal prisons and 747,529 in local jails.[7]

Answer 3

All of them. . .