This article presents the issue of the so-called hope and psychological well-being of convicts sentenced to long-term and life imprisonment. The role and significance of “hope” and “psychological well-being” in the plane of preventive and educational goals of life imprisonment are analyzed. On this ground, the question regarding the function of life imprisonment is being asked, because today this punishment is not identified only with its elimination function as part of general prevention. It is also attributed with educational and corrective role. However, in this matter, hope has a fundamental meaning and every person sentenced for life imprisonment is entitled to it. This is the reason why in the Polish legal system the validity of the unconditional life imprisonment is questioned, as this penalty would mean that the convicted person is deprived of the right to seek early conditional release from the rest of his imprisonment.