Liferituals

Liferituals is a term that has emerged in contemporary discourse to describe rituals and ritualized behaviors associated with individuals serving life sentences, or more broadly, the rituals people enact in relation to long-term life paths. The term combines lifer with rituals and lacks a single, widely accepted definition in scholarly literature; its meaning varies by context.

In the prison context, liferituals refer to the daily and ceremonial practices through which long-term inmates organize time, mediate social relationships, and sustain identity under constraint. Examples include fixed daily routines, participation in religious or cultural group activities, letter writing and contact with family, hobby development, and rules surrounding yard time, meals, and visits. These practices can provide structure, social belonging, and a sense of agency, while also reflecting the power dynamics and institutional rules of the setting.

In broader discussions, some writers use the term to describe personal rituals that people adopt in response to long-term commitments or permanent changes in life circumstances—such as chronic illness, navigating aging, or adjusting to retirement or irreversible life events—though this usage is less standardized.

Scholars emphasize that liferituals can illuminate how people create meaning, coping strategies, and social identities within constraint, as well as how rituals reinforce or challenge institutional hierarchies.

See also: lifer, ritual, prison culture.