Talk:List of longest prison sentences served
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Sammy Haynes is a prisoner in Georgia who has been incarcerated since September of 1969 for five counts of Murder. He has 18 life sentences and is still confined today at the Augusta Medical Center.— Precedingunsigned comment added by190.106.197.168 (talk)04:21, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I had a look and he is still in prison according to the Georgia DOC. I found an article from 2006 which says Haynes was denied parole 18 times by 2004, but I can't find any further articles since then -https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution/168875528/.
Skycloud86 (talk)12:54, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Brenda should also be on this list. Incarcerated since 1980 for the 1979 Cleveland Elementary School shooting.— Precedingunsigned comment added by2001:8003:6DB5:A800:1109:2F25:1F64:A5AC (talk)05:23, 12 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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.
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)[reply]
I know Lelsie Van Houten is listed below but also Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel qualify to be on the list. Is there a reason they are not listed while the men in the case are?— Precedingunsigned comment added by24.104.154.194 (talk)19:05, 20 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
They were listed until about January of 2021— Precedingunsigned comment added by24.77.151.116 (talk)18:29, 13 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
“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— Precedingunsigned comment added byBilliz (talk •contribs)22:22, 9 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]
It seems he's been transferred to a nursing home.
http://www.ctinmateinfo.state.ct.us/detailsupv.asp?id_inmt_num=16370— Precedingunsigned comment added byLoppev (talk •contribs)07:38, 5 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I think his sentence should no longer say ongoing because of his nursing home transfer.— Precedingunsigned comment added by2600:1010:B156:B117:202D:9A36:A24A:C2D2 (talk)20:07, 27 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I read somewhere that Smith was paroled in july..anyways..his sentence is finished.— Precedingunsigned comment added byMartizaa (talk •contribs)22:58, 2 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Can you tell me where you heard that?--2601:206:301:6300:258D:EE84:25AA:637A (talk)23:14, 26 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
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— Precedingunsigned comment added byTrille11 (talk •contribs)10:09, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
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.— Precedingunsigned comment added byHilletrille (talk •contribs)22:10, 12 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Clifford Smith don't deserve the nr 1 spot. He was paroled last summer.— Precedingunsigned comment added byTaraquel (talk •contribs)22:43, 22 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Here are some real articles that says he was releasedhttps://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Francis-Smith-longest-serving-prisoner-released-17017465.phphttps://ourcommunitynow.com/news/longest-serving-ct-prisoner-now-97-released-72-years-after-greenwich-yacht-club-murderhttps://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/Francis-Smith-longest-serving-prisoner-released-17017465.php?t=bf58adf345Shktriib1 (talk)01:46, 24 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
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.[1]— Precedingunsigned comment added by2600:1010:B156:B117:202D:9A36:A24A:C2D2 (talk)20:12, 27 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
References
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
"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)[reply]
Thanks, I've seen that before but didn't remember that part.Skycloud86 (talk)19:46, 23 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/us/mccollum-brown-exoneration.htmlMenah the Great (talk)03:16, 22 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
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)[reply]
We should add the following people to the list
Including this man[1][2][3][4]
Kenneth Nicely’s sentence started on 12/22/1958 according to this[5]
Barbaro Reyes Cho (talk)22:01, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
References
https://www.inquirer.com/news/joe-ligon-juvenile-lifer-philadelphia-incarceration-release-lifetime-parole-20210211.htmlMenah the Great (talk)00:52, 16 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
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Add wikilink to Joseph Ligon, as there is an article about him:Joe Ligon.IcedQ (talk)13:05, 24 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
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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)[reply]
Done Hess was listed twice. I removed the duplicate with the shorter year.RudolfRed (talk)00:05, 16 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]Rodney Alcala just died in death row. How much time was he in there?Menah the Great (talk)22:05, 24 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
What’s with the description just saying “see above” for several of the solitary confinement prisoners??ElleBlair (talk)19:40, 29 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]
This man should be added to the Longest Spell on Death Row list.[1]--73.235.180.215 (talk)23:28, 6 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
References
Warren Nutter died in prison on December 8, 2021, for whoever wants to make the changehttps://apnews.com/article/iowa-fort-madison-ac25c8267b2f9111f49cd8b96d85ac42Lightiggy (talk)22:49, 9 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]
I've done it.Skycloud86 (talk)12:44, 10 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Why isDavid Berkowitz (the "Son of Sam" murderer) not on the list? He has been in custody since 1977 and serving a sentence since he pleaded guilty in 1978, over 43 years regardless of when you start counting. NYS inmate lookup:http://nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov/GCA00P00/WIQ3/WINQ130— Precedingunsigned comment added by65.175.242.16 (talk)03:05, 13 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Arizona Department of Corrections inmate been incarcerated since 1966 for murder. Needs to be added to the longest time served list.
www.azcorrections.gov
Inmate data search inmate number 0273452600:1012:B110:F0E4:2558:FEDF:F86C:272D (talk)13:47, 25 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: please providereliable sources that support the change you want to be made.Sundayclose (talk)15:41, 25 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]Danny Ray Sharp has been in prison since May 31, 1977http://kool.corrections.ky.gov/KOOL/Details/10360— Precedingunsigned comment added by2601:2C2:400:35A0:404F:E35E:F2E4:D1C (talk)21:59, 31 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Sammie Robinson went to prison in 1953 and died in 2020.https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lester-holt-what-i-learned-spending-two-nights-maximum-security-n1050286Lightiggy (talk)02:27, 8 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Where are the Manson women? Shouldn't they be listed?Joseph A. Spadaro (talk)05:24, 28 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Why isSundiata Acoli still listed as serving his sentence when he was released?2601:206:301:6300:ECC3:84ED:8492:9F7 (talk)22:02, 18 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]
where does it say he served 46 years in solitary? Most sources that I can find say that he did 7 years solitary and was then sent to Montelupo asylum, with no indication that he was in solitary confinement after the initial 7 yrs.Source in ItalianSheila1988 (talk)15:01, 5 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
There's a list of exonerated people athttps://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/longestincarceration.aspx, some of whom spent over forty years in prison. I'm not sure if they should be added or not (if they aren't already included), but ti would mean potentially adding thirteen people to the page.Skycloud86 (talk)15:26, 9 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Earl Inge and John McHugh in the 40-49 year section should be moved up on the list as their terms are longer than ones who are currently above them so I am going to move them to their correct spots in between Richard Palumbo andWilliam Pierce, Jr. --Poop Pee Barf (talk)18:58, 14 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I am uneasy about having a catch-all
United Kingdom to cover British prisoners in this list. Scotland has its own legal system with its own laws and prison system. Perhaps it would be better to use
Scotland and
England, to coverEngland and Wales?John (talk)19:25, 24 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
England and
Wales. United Kingdom by itself (as at present), even though the exclusion of Wales from the flag's design is controversial.England and WalesI looked on the California DOC website inmate search, but he's no longer listed. I'm unable to find anything as to why.Skycloud86 (talk)21:01, 25 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Cindy White has been incarcerated since 5/21/1976 — almost 47-years. It’s a controversial case and worthy of including in this list.2600:1700:D670:ADF0:4009:E600:B215:6ED0 (talk)00:16, 26 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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James "Jimmy" Nelson is currently serving a life sentence in the South Dakota State Penitentiary and has been incarcerated at the SD Penitentiary since June 10, 1963, and is currently over 60 consecutive years. He is serving for the January 1963 murder of his friend in a plot to collect double indemity from a life insurance policy on the victim due to "accidental" death.JDBent (talk)03:13, 3 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: please providereliable sources that support the change you want to be made.Cannolis (talk)03:21, 3 August 2023 (UTC)[reply] | Thisedit request has been answered. Set the|answered= parameter tono to reactivate your request. |
Booker T. Hillery died on January 16 2023 so his section should be updated.https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/257094928/booker-t.-hilleryFiremancer6723 (talk)00:16, 7 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: please providereliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Find a grave is not a reliable source as it isuser generated see alsoWP:RSPLightoil (talk)08:09, 7 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]North Dakotas longest serving inmate. 40 years. I believe he qualifies to be added to this page. I am a very inexperienced editor so I posted to talk page if someone wants to verify.
Nundahl24 (talk)17:18, 30 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
References
Larry Ranes is not serving his sentence anymore according to both his article and the state inmate locator website. It says he was discharged on November 12th and it does not say whether he died or was released but either way he is no longer serving his sentence so can someone please update this article?Startrain844 (talk)23:19, 2 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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In the list of UK prison sentences, is it worth adding a footnote about John Cox, who was sentenced to Detention at Her Majesty's Pleasure on 26th July 1862, having been found Not Guilty on grounds of insanity of the charge of murdering of Adam Stapleton Puckett (see for example London Atlas of 2 August 1862), and died at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum (as it was then known) some time in the week 11-15 November 1918 (see Birmingham Daily Gazette for 16 November 1918). He was therefore locked up for 56 years and about 108 days, probably longer than anyone else in British legal history. What made this murder particularly infamous at the time was that Adam Puckett was the doctor caring for John Cox at the time, and that after beating him to death, John Cox got a saw and sawed off Mr Puckett's head, one foot, and one hand, and chucked them over the garden wall into the road. He said to the police after his arrest that the head made a sound "like a damn'd old pumpkin".87.115.248.170 (talk)15:35, 26 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a"change X to Y" format and provide areliable source if appropriate.Deltaspace42 (talk •contribs)16:05, 26 December 2023 (UTC)[reply] | Thisedit request has been answered. Set the|answered= parameter tono to reactivate your request. |
It is out of date.Startrain844 (talk)16:58, 10 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a"change X to Y" format and provide areliable source if appropriate.Shadow311 (talk)17:04, 10 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]Larry Ranes is dead now according to his article so his sentence is no longer ongoing and Booker T hillery is also dead according toVasquez v. Hillery.--Startrain844 (talk)20:19, 11 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
As the article keeps growing, it also becomes more difficult to edit and read. Given that its purpose is to list the longest prison sentences ever, it doesn't make a lot of sense to list people who have served twenty years less than them. Additionally, this section never showed less than 44 years in prison and was the only one not representing a ten year span like the others, as a result. For the time being I will leave the lists about solitary confinement and death row, however.Menah the Great (talk)23:49, 18 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Some ongoing sentences that might reach over 50 years in the future and would be added by then are the following:
| Name | Sentence start | Sentence end | Sentence duration | Country | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Shaw | September 26, 1976 | ongoing | 49 years, 62 days |  Ireland | English national who, aged 29, abducted, raped, tortured and murdered two Irish women, Elizabeth Plunkett (22) in Wicklow and Mary Duffy (24) in Mayo. His accomplice Geoffrey Evans was imprisoned from 1976 until his death in 2012.[1][2] |
| William H Matthews | February 4, 1977 | ongoing | 48 years, 296 days |  United States | Convicted in New Jersey of raping and murdering a 20-year-old college student a month before she was due to be married.[3] |
| Richard Tobias Delage | April 18, 1977 | ongoing | 48 years, 223 days | United States | Convicted of the murders of two university students committed in 1960 and 1969, respectively, he remains a suspect in a similar double murder in Pennsylvania for which he was never charged.[4] |
| Leonard Peltier | 1977 | ongoing | 47 years | United States | American Indian Movement activist; convicted of killing two Federal agents in 1975. Escaped & recaptured in 1979. Last denied clemency in 2017, and scheduled for release no earlier than 2035. |
| Robert Maudsley | 1977 | ongoing | 47 years | United Kingdom | Serial killer |
| Freddy Horion | 1979 | ongoing | 46 years, 154 days |  Belgium | Convicted for 6 murders.[5][6] |
References
In his article,Jeff Fort is said to have been placed in solitary in the early 2000s, but the sources given are dead (and don't appear to have been good to begin with). Can someone check this case for inclusion?Menah the Great (talk)17:33, 21 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
According to the Arkansas DOC, Jones is no longer listed as an inmate. I can't find any further information, but as he was elderly I assume he has died.Skycloud86 (talk)15:46, 28 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
According to the New Hampshire DOC, Bourque is no longer listed as an inmate, and I can't find any information. He was in his late eighties so I assume he has died.Skycloud86 (talk)14:52, 21 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Can someone write profiles for William Hunt and Patrick McNamee?Lightiggy (talk)21:09, 14 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
