Extreme Punishment and Activism in the 21st Century

Clayton B. Drummond

Advisor: Robert J. Norris, PhD, Department of Criminology, Law and Society

Committee Members: Janani Umamaheswar, James J. Willis, Katie Owens-Murphy

Enterprise Hall, #318
March 24, 2025, 12:00 PM to 02:00 PM

Abstract:

In the last half-century, applications of extreme punishment in the United States have changed drastically. The death penalty, once a thriving institution of the American penal system, is now in decline. Meanwhile, the U.S. prison population sentenced to life-without-parole (LWOP) has increased in recent decades. This did not occur from nothing. Rather, scholars have argued that the anti-death penalty movement helped normalize LWOP as an alternative to capital punishment, labelling it as “the new death penalty” and “death by incarceration.” This is an important development in the American penal landscape. As one punishment fades, another has gained significant traction. While prior works have focused on anti-death penalty activism, both in relation to capital punishment’s decline and regarding abolitionists’ views of perpetual confinement, relatively little is known about anti-LWOP advocacy. In this dissertation, I seek to address this gap in research. Using theories of social movements, I examine the anti-LWOP movement’s historical development, contemporary mobilization tactics, and relationship to the anti-death penalty movement. I draw on three sources of data, including more than 1,200 pages of archival materials, 29 in-depth interviews with advocates from both movements, and more than 89 hours of observations. I argue that the anti-LWOP movement originated in prisons in the late 20th century. The movement then gained significant traction in the 21st century when the Supreme Court restricted extreme punishments for juveniles—first the death penalty and then mandatory LWOP sentences—thus showing a systemic vulnerability that could be exploited by activists. Since the Court announced these decisions, LWOP abolitionists have challenged perpetual confinement using both judicial and political abolition strategies at the state, national, and international level. I offer insights into the contemporary movement by analyzing several recent developments. Further, though I found that the anti-LWOP and anti-death penalty movements have a complicated relationship, I suggest there is common ground that could benefit activists on both sides moving forward.