The number of young adults being sentenced to life imprisonment or indeterminate terms has risen sharply over the past decade, according to reporting from The Independent. In 2024, 50 offenders between ages 18 and 20 received life or open-ended sentences, compared with 30 in 2014. A growing share of young people in prison are now serving life terms, with many facing sentences as long as — or longer than — the number of years they have lived.