ABSTRACT
Using women serving life sentences in Georgia as a case study, this chapter addresses the punitive nature of mass incarceration and the subsequent fear of dying behind bars. The authors examine key variables such as age, mental health measures, and perceptions of prison safety that contribute to death anxiety. This chapter also identifies what happens when a person dies in prison, strategies useful in coping with the stigma of dying in prison, grief reactions to the losses of family and friends, and available options for a more dignified prison death experience.
