Re-Education A Life, In Sentences

Many advocates and civil rights lawyers say that education and opportunity inside is a major factor in combating recidivism rates and one that should be extended to lifers.

"Re-entry begins inside the prison," says Marsha Levick, deputy director and chief counsel at the Juvenile Law Center, the nation's oldest public interest law firm for children. "Having communities across the country absorbing and finding effective ways to reintegrate individuals convicted of homicide there's not much of a blueprint. It's a remarkable moment where we're seeing a country addicted to long if not lifetime sentences releasing individuals back into the community. It turns out its hard work."