Talk:List of longest prison sentences served

Leslie Van Houten

Shouldn't she be on this page? I don't know the exact day sentence started but definitely notable. About 50 years. Also newsworthy lately because eligible for parole.

Yeah, the whole Manson Family should be considered for inclusion.--Menah the Great (talk) 21:10, 27 October 2019 (UTC)

Van Houten should be lower on this list. She was freed for about 18 months in 1977 because of a procedural error at her original trial. According to this article she has been imprisoned continually since 1971, but it just isn’t so. BassPlyr23 (talk) 13:33, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

• There were three women convicted in the Tate-LaBianca murders, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins, in addition to Van Houten. When Atkins died in 2009 Krenwinkel became the longest serving female prisoner in California. It does seem odd that the four male murderers, Manson, Watson, Beausoleil and Davis are mention while the women are not (Clem Grogan was released in 1985). In Krenwinkel's case, it's a continuous sentence since 1971, just as long as Watson and longer than Davis. freshacconci (✉) 19:02, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Francis Clifford Smith

According to a local newspaper, Smith was released on parole for 10 months before committing a violation that put him back in prison in 1975. Knowing that, I'm not sure if he still qualifies as the longest-serving prisoner. If he does, the "sentence duration" should be updated. Right now it says 69 years and 6 months, when in fact it is 68 years and 8 months. In addition to that, this website says he escaped from prison for 11 days in 1967 (the newspaper article mentions this as well, but they didn't specify for how long). Johndavies837 (talk) 08:55, 8 December 2019 (UTC)

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about Smith. I guess his brief escape from prison could count as part of his imprisonment since he was supposed to be imprisoned then. (And given that there's not a lot of motivation for a lifer to not escape from prison, he's probably not the only person on this list to briefly escape.)

But can the period he was on parole really count as part of his imprisonment? He was actually freed by the legal system during that period.

And since this article is only about continuous time in prison, not the total time in prison over his lifetime, his continuous imprisonment is only 44 years and some number of months. This article starts at 45 years imprisonment, so that wouldn't even qualify him for this article. Wikidude87654321 (talk) 23:03, 26 January 2020 (UTC)

“My records indicate he was released to parole back in 1975. He was out on parole from January 30 of 1975, up until he was returned from parole, with charges, on Nov. 10, 1975. https://apnews.com/08d7e726a2bc4accaf222bc7f426710e — Preceding unsigned comment added by Billiz (talk • contribs) 22:22, 9 June 2020 (UTC)

It seems he's been transferred to a nursing home.

http://www.ctinmateinfo.state.ct.us/detailsupv.asp?id_inmt_num=16370 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Loppev (talk • contribs) 07:38, 5 September 2020 (UTC)

I think his sentence should no longer say ongoing because of his nursing home transfer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1010:B156:B117:202D:9A36:A24A:C2D2 (talk) 20:07, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

I read somewhere that Smith was paroled in july..anyways..his sentence is finished. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Martizaa (talk • contribs) 22:58, 2 November 2020 (UTC)

Can you tell me where you heard that?--2601:206:301:6300:258D:EE84:25AA:637A (talk) 23:14, 26 November 2020 (UTC)

Smith, Francis Clifford. 16370. Osborn. Release. JD - Bridgeport. Paroled 07/08/ 2020.

https://portal.ct.gov/search-results/?q=francis%20clifford%20smith#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=francis%20clifford%20smith&gsc.page=1 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Trille11 (talk • contribs) 10:09, 4 December 2020 (UTC)

His sentence ended in july this year. And he was released on parole for 10 months in 1975. So he hasn't served 70 plus years at all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hilletrille (talk • contribs) 22:10, 12 December 2020 (UTC)

Clifford Smith don't deserve the nr 1 spot. He was paroled last summer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Taraquel (talk • contribs) 22:43, 22 March 2021 (UTC)

Booker T. Hillery

Booker T Hillery was granted medical parole on September 2018, which means his sentence is over by a certain user keeps saying that there is proof he was paroled yet here is plenty of proof.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1010:B156:B117:202D:9A36:A24A:C2D2 (talk) 20:12, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

New sections go at the bottom; don't put them at the top. As usual your link doesn't go to a page that has anything whatsoever about Hillery. And the statement that he is in a nursing home does not mean his sentence is over. When inmates have special medical needs they go where they can receive it. That doesn't mean the sentence is completed or that he has been paroled. Cite a source that specifically states details of his sentence. Otherwise stop edit warring. You are evading a block as College railman, Cadeken, and a variety of other identities. Keep this up and you're headed for another of many blocks. Sundayclose (talk) 21:00, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

References

Tony Wheat

I was looking through the various state DOC websites but Antonio "Tony" Wheat doesn't appear as an active prisoner in Washington state anymore. He did have a parole hearing earlier this year, but I can't find anything that suggests he was given parole. I suspect he was paroled or died and this didn't get much attention in the media - similar to Richard Robles being paroled earlier this year by New York. Skycloud86 (talk) 13:58, 19 November 2020 (UTC)

I've found a Facebook group and a GoFundMe that say he was released on the 12th, but I'm not sure if these can be used as sources.Skycloud86 (talk) 13:37, 20 November 2020 (UTC)

"Wheat is scheduled to leave Monroe and take his first breath of freedom in half a century on November 12, 2020." Seattle Met 4/27/2015 --Menah the Great (talk) 16:28, 21 November 2020 (UTC)

Thanks, I've seen that before but didn't remember that part. Skycloud86 (talk) 19:46, 23 November 2020 (UTC)

Information on Henry McCollum (current last entry)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/us/mccollum-brown-exoneration.html Menah the Great (talk) 03:16, 22 November 2020 (UTC)

John Norman Collins

John Norman Collins should be added to the list as he has been serving 50 years by now. Darren Cross (talk) 02:34, 25 November 2020 (UTC)

New additions and more info on current additions

We should add the following people to the list

Including this man

Kenneth Nicely’s sentence started on 12/22/1958 according to this

Timothy Clark

Barbaro Reyes Cho (talk) 22:01, 20 January 2021 (UTC)

References

Ligon is out!

https://www.inquirer.com/news/joe-ligon-juvenile-lifer-philadelphia-incarceration-release-lifetime-parole-20210211.html Menah the Great (talk) 00:52, 16 February 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 June 2021

Add wikilink to Joseph Ligon, as there is an article about him: Joe Ligon. IcedQ (talk) 13:05, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

 Done ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 13:20, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 July 2021

Change Rudolf Hess sentence duration from 21 years to 40 years. Hess was imprisoned within Spandau Prison from 18 July 1947 to his death on the 17 August 1987 which would account for 40 years rather the 21 listed between 1966 and 1987. This mistake is most likely due to the confusion of his isolation as the last prisoner within Spandau after the 6 other prisoners were released. Currently I believe it is Furthermore due to the aforementioned change this requires the information to be moved to the 40 years and above table. Larry The Third (talk) 23:33, 15 July 2021 (UTC)

 Done Hess was listed twice. I removed the duplicate with the shorter year. RudolfRed (talk) 00:05, 16 July 2021 (UTC)

Rodney Alcala

Rodney Alcala just died in death row. How much time was he in there? Menah the Great (talk) 22:05, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

“See Above”

What’s with the description just saying “see above” for several of the solitary confinement prisoners?? ElleBlair (talk) 19:40, 29 September 2021 (UTC)

Longest Spell On Death Row New Entry

This man should be added to the Longest Spell on Death Row list.--73.235.180.215 (talk) 23:28, 6 November 2021 (UTC)