In 1976 Canada abolished the death penalty and replaced it with a new maximum sentence for first-degree murder--life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years. This book presents interviews with 15 prisoners serving this sentence. The inmates talk about their crime, their time, what it is like to serve such a long sentence, their parole hopes and the meaning this gives to their lives. The interviews are presented in chronological order, from those who had the least time in through to those who had done progressively more time. The original interviews were followed by a 2-year delay to allow for updates that would supplement the longitudinal dimensions of the cross-sectional sampling. Notes, glossary, appendix, bibliography