The first edition of this book was welcomed by probation and prison personnel as an accessible guide to this complex area of the criminal justice system.The first and only practitioner's text dedicated to this topic, the guide offers a comprehensive account of life sentencing from pre-sentence to release on licence, covering mandatory life for murder, HMP sentences for juvenile murderers, the principles governing discretionary life sentences, lifer 'career' planning, the 'life system', the psychological experience of indeterminate loss of liberty, the process of review and the role of the Parole Board, life licence demands and recall.Now completely revised and updated to a second edition, the text explores the extensive effects of the new rules for offenders convicted of murder which have been implemented by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (including minimum terms, indeterminate sentences for public protection and release on temporary licence), the consequences of the introduction of the National Offender Management Service and the new measures in place to consider the perspective of the victim throughout the sentencing process. The book continues to be supplemented by illustrative case examples, bringing to life the experiences of lifers and those who work with them.This text will prove an invaluable work for all probation officers and other criminal justice practitioners, lawyers, and other professionals who need an accessible but comprehensive sourcebook on the subject, as well as lifers themselves.