Life Imprisonment in Poland

This book examines life imprisonment in Poland, exploring how the 1989 democratic transition led to its reintroduction across Central and Eastern Europe in 1995 and major reform in 2023. Drawing on legal analysis, statistical data, policy debates and original qualitative research with life-sentenced prisoners and prison staff, this book examines how life imprisonment functions in practice from both perspectives. Engaging with prison records, interviews and survey data while highlighting each approach’s advantages and challenges, the book categorizes incarceration into five stages from pre-trial detention through 15-plus years. Life Imprisonment in Poland: Locked Up, Left Out will interest scholars and students, policymakers, legal practitioners and prison professionals studying imprisonment, life penalties and penal justice systems.