The Longest Prison Sentences Ever Served
Throughout history, some individuals have endured extraordinarily long prison sentences, with their stories reflecting the harsh realities of justice, crime, and reform. These cases often involve heinous crimes, complicated legal processes, or personal choices that kept them behind bars for decades. From murder and robbery to other grave offenses, the reasons behind these lengthy incarcerations offer a sobering glimpse into society’s response to crime.
These individuals have spent most, if not all, of their lives confined, becoming symbols of either the justice system’s rigidity or its capacity for change. Whether due to sentences without parole, commutations, or personal decisions to reject freedom, their lives have unfolded within the walls of correctional facilities. Below are individuals with the longest prison sentences ever recorded, each one telling a unique, tragic, and often thought-provoking story.
1. Charles Foussard spent 70 years, 303 days in prison.
Charles spent most of his life at a mental asylum in Ararat, Victoria, after murdering an elderly man and stealing his boots. He died there at 91–92 years old.
2. Francis Clifford Smith spent 70 years, 31 days in prison.
Sentenced to death for murdering a guard during a 1949 yacht club robbery, his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1954, just two hours before execution. Smith was paroled in July 2020.
3. Walter H. Bourque Jr. has spent 69 years, 8 days in prison.
Walter is still currently imprisoned, serving a sentence of 99 years and six months for the axe murder of a four-year-old girl when he was 17.
4. Paul Geidel Jr. spent 68 years, 245 days in prison.
Sentenced to 20 years to life in 1911 at age 17 for robbery and murder, he was found insane in 1926 and transferred to a hospital. He was confined there until 1976 and released in 1980 at age 86. He died at 93.
5. John Phillips spent 68 years, 236 days in prison.
Convicted of s*xually assaulting a five-year-old girl, he was released on parole on March 9, 2021, with his parole set to end on March 8, 2026.
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6. Joseph Ligon spent 67 years, 54 days in prison.
Sentenced to life without parole at 15 for murder, Ligon rejected resentencing and parole offers in 2016 and 2017. Ligon was released from prison on February 11, 2021.
7. Johnson Van Dyke Grigsby spent 66 years, 123 days in prison.
After killing a man in a fight, he was sentenced to life for murder and denied parole 69 times before being released at 89. He returned to prison voluntarily due to job struggles but was released again in 1976.
8. Sammie Robinson spent 66 years, 85 days in prison.
Sammie’s 66 years in prison were spent in Louisiana, beginning when he was 17 and ending with his death at 83.
9. Kenneth Nicely spent 65 years, 362 days in prison.
He is currently still incarcerated and is the longest serving inmate in Arkansas. He was convicted of killing a police officer.
10. Warren Nutter spent 65 years, 10 months, 6 days in prison.
At 18, he became the youngest man sentenced to death in Iowa for killing a patrolman during a gas station robbery. His sentence was commuted to life in 1957. He died in 2021.
Morbid Knowledge
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
