This is a list of longest prison sentences served by a single person, worldwide, without a period of freedom followed by a second conviction. These cases rarely coincide with the
longest prison sentences given, because some countries have laws that do not allow sentences without
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
or for convicts to remain in prison beyond a given number of years (regardless of their original conviction).
Longest sentences served
More than 70 years
60–69 years
50–59 years
40–49 years
Longest spells in solitary confinement
The sentence duration refers to the time spent in
solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
, regardless of time spent in normal prison before or after. Death row prisoners, who are usually also held in isolation, are not included.
More than 40 years
30–39 years
20–29 years
10–19 years
Longest spells on death row
These prisoners were
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
rather than prison, but their execution was stalled for a prolonged time due to different reasons.
More than 40 years
30–39 years
See also
*
List of longest prison sentences
This is a list of longest prison sentences ever given to a single person, worldwide. Listed are instances where people have been sentenced to jail terms in excess of a human lifetime, but effectively the same purpose. Note that many national leg ...
*
List of prisoners with whole-life tariffs
This is a list of prisoners who have received a whole life order, formerly called a whole life tariff, through some mechanism in jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. From the introduction of the whole life order system in 1983 until an appeal by a ...
*
Blanche Monnier
Blanche Monnier (; 1 March 1849 – 13 October 1913), often known in France as ''la Séquestrée de Poitiers'' (roughly, "The Confined Woman of Poitiers"), was a woman from Poitiers, France, who was secretly kept locked in a small room by her a ...
, a French woman who was locked alone in a small room by her own family for 25 years
References
Other sources
* {{Citation , url =http://mikedashhistory.com/2010/07/24/a-prison-curiosity// , title = The Longest Prison Sentences Ever Served , publisher = A Blast From the Past , date = July 24, 2010. Lists the lengthiest sentences actually completed, with detailed case studies.
Lists of prisoners and detainees
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Penal imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Prison sentences served