Also known as: term of his natural life · term of her natural life · life imprisonment · natural life sentence
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A person's physical life span. The phrase measures the duration of an interest or sentence by reference to the actual period the individual remains alive.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Nolan Nunez, age seventeen, set a fire that caused extensive property damage but no deaths. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. Because he was a juvenile and the offense was non-homicide, the sentence for the rest of his natural life is unconstitutional.
Nancy Nelson passed a bad check after prior nonviolent felonies. The court imposed life imprisonment without parole. The sentence extending to the end of her natural life is disproportionate under the Eighth Amendment.
Noah Nakamura was charged with murder after a fatal shooting. The prosecution relied on a presumption that malice could be inferred from the act alone. The court required the state to prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt before imposing a sentence for the remainder of his natural life.
Nora Nash was convicted of a weapons offense. The judge found a hate-crime motive by a preponderance of the evidence and added years that effectively produced a life term. The enhancement facts must be submitted to the jury before any sentence measured by the defendant's natural life can be imposed.
Naveen Nanda raised an insanity defense in a capital murder trial. The state restricted expert testimony on his mental condition. The limitation affected whether the jury could impose a sentence lasting the rest of his natural life.
Noelle North was prosecuted for converting government property. The court instructed the jury that intent to steal must be shown. Without that proof the government could not obtain a conviction carrying a sentence for the balance of her natural life.
It means imprisonment for the defendant's entire remaining physical life span, typically without parole eligibility.
No. The Eighth Amendment categorically prohibits life imprisonment without parole for juveniles convicted of non-homicide crimes.
Courts treat 'during her natural life' as language of limitation that creates an estate measured by the life tenant's physical lifespan.
Yes. A sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole continues until the defendant's death.
…of death is qualitatively different from a sentence of imprisonment, however long. Death, in its finality, differs more from life imprisonment than a 100-year prison term differs from one of only a year or two. Because of that qualitative difference, there is a corresponding difference in the need for reliability in the…