RT Article
T1 Life-sentenced prisoners, crime victims, and the multidialog of parole
JF Punishment & society
VO 27
IS 5
SP 1078
OP 1097
A1 Dagan, Netanel
A1 Dancig-Rosenberg, Hadar
A2 Dancig-Rosenberg, Hadar
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1940619203
AB This study examined the dynamics of communication between prisoners sentenced for life (lifers), their victims, and parole boards. Against the backdrop of penal dialogue imagined by penal theorists, we analyzed the narratives of lifers and of their victims during parole hearings in Israel, to explore the construction of a multi-dialogue between prisoners, victims, and parole boards. Our findings reveal that both lifers and victims predominantly framed the crime and its aftermath in personal rather than public terms. Lifers expressed persistent internal anguish, the perceived impossibility of self-forgiveness, and the enduring memory of their victims. Victims emphasized private harm, concerns about the risk that perpetrators still present, and the imperative of commemorating the deceased. We critically assessed whether these narratives challenged or complemented the assumptions of the communicative theory of punishment, which advocates a formal censure-oriented, public-focused penal dialogue culminating in reconciliation. This research investigates possible gaps between communicative ideals and penal realities concerning life imprisonment and uncovers the potential inherent in parole hearings as a communicative penal forum.
K1 Punishment
K1 Murder
K1 penal communication
K1 life-sentenced prisoners
K1 Victims
K1 Parole
DO 10.1177/14624745251360346