Communication from UN Special Procedures to US Government

June 19 2023: Based on the complaint that we submitted in September 2022, a number of UN Special Procedures sent a communication to the United States raising concerns about “prison sentencing policies and practices such as life without parole, life with parole, “virtual life” (i.e., any sentence that exceeds life expectancy), and other term-of-years exceeding life expectancy. These practices are sometimes referred to collectively as death by incarceration sentences.” The communication was sent by the: UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The United States has not as yet responded to this letter.