The data consists of 37 interview transcripts from the first round of Lives Sentenced research. Interviews with thirteen incarcerated men, nine men in the community, twelve incarcerated women and three women in the community are included. The interviews explore the changing meaning of the accumulation of sentences in their lives, and the interactions of these meanings with life outside. Hopes for the future and motivations to desist are also discussed. This data collection includes the first round interviews, which were followed two years later by another round of interviews with 17 of the original participants. These interviews will be deposited in a separate collection. There has been little research examining how those who are punished by the criminal justice system give meaning to their sentences. For many offenders, criminal punishments are not experienced in isolation, but rather are given meaning in the context of wider lives and previous penal experiences. This is especially the case for persistent offenders, who generally have long punishment careers. This research explores how they interpret the accumulation of sentences in their lives. Thirty-seven men and women in Scotland who had been repeatedly sentenced over at least 5-10 years were interviewed, using life history methods.

Qualitative life history interviews with men and women who had long punishment careers (spanning around 10 years for the men, around 5 years for the women) and whose most recent sentence was or had been one of short-term imprisonment. Some of the interviews took place in prison (those preceded by P), others in the community. Participants within the prison were recruited through staff, who consulted their systems or knowledge of prisoners to identify those with long punishment careers, and occasionally through other staff. Participants in the community were recruited through third sector organisations or criminal justice social work.