LWOP
Law & Legal abbreviation · Criminal Law
| Stands for | Life without parole |
|---|---|
| Categories | Law & Legal |
LWOP stands for Life without parole, a criminal law abbreviation.
Sentence of imprisonment for the rest of the person's life with no possibility of release on parole, imposed for the most serious crimes such as murder. In states without the death penalty it is usually the harshest available sentence.
Example: The jury's verdict means a mandatory sentence of LWOP under state law.
Usage notes
Pronounced "EL-wop". The Supreme Court barred LWOP for juveniles convicted of non-homicide crimes in Graham v. Florida (2010) and barred mandatory LWOP for juvenile homicide offenders in Miller v. Alabama (2012). Release can still come through clemency or commutation. Some advocates call the sentence "death by incarceration".
Related abbreviations
More criminal law abbreviations
- FTA – Failure to appear
- GBMI – Guilty but mentally ill
- GCT – Good conduct time
- GJ – Grand jury
- IAC – Ineffective assistance of counsel
- IST – Incompetent to stand trial
- Misd. – Misdemeanor
- MPC – Model Penal Code
- NCO – No-contact order
- NGRI – Not guilty by reason of insanity
- NPA – Non-prosecution agreement
- PBJ – Probation before judgment
See all 46 criminal law abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.