Death row inmate goes free

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/justice/death-row-freedom/index.html?hpt=hp_t1


So according to the article, a woman who committed a murder/robbery at the age of 15 is now going free after committing a murder/robbery after 27 years on death row.

I was more interested to find out that the grandson of the woman she murdered and robbed had not only befriended her while incarcerated, but also advocated for her release after forming a friendship with the woman. I don't believe that taking a life justifies taking another in turn, and I'm glad to see that the grandson of the murder victim has found room in his heart not only for forgivness, but to offer a means of redemption as well.

Thoughts?

I don't believe we should have the death penalty, but I do think she got out too early. She served less than half her sentence for a brutal crime.

Abhaya Budhil wrote: I don't believe we should have the death penalty, but I do think she got out too early. She served less than half her sentence for a brutal crime.

I completly agree with you on both points. I feel that while it is a wonderful thing the death sentence was dropped, I feel releasing her before sentence completion is an irresponsible element on the part of the judicial system.

That being said, her sentence will be life regardless if she truly feels regret and remorse for the crime she participated in.

Justice is socially acceptable vengeance. I think a 15 year old murderer should have gone into therapy.

I'm not sure I would call it vengeance. Some people are dangers to society and need to be locked away for a period of time. I think that if she had accidentally killed the woman while intoxicated, therapy would have been fine. But she stabbed her and cut her multiple times. It sounds like it was pretty brutal. That might have been a bit more than therapy could handle.

Abhaya Budhil wrote: I'm not sure I would call it vengeance. Some people are dangers to society and need to be locked away for a period of time. I think that if she had accidentally killed the woman while intoxicated, therapy would have been fine. But she stabbed her and cut her multiple times. It sounds like it was pretty brutal. That might have been a bit more than therapy could handle.

I am partial on this. While I feel that a prision sentence is appropriate for crimes of this nature, I feel that regardless of the term, even if it is a life or death sentence, therapy should be a necessary element of the sentence to assist the agressor in their reformation, regardless of it's effective potential

I also have to agree with rugadd that in it's deepest essence, Justice is socially acceptable vengance. I do feel however that in order for society to function with an element of order and civility, justice must exist to punish those who commit wrongs. While I may disaggree on the means used and the intent behind them, I ultimatly agree with the concept.

I would agree if what was done to the "criminal" was done from a sense of love and with the intent of guiding them away from the perception that that behavior is somehow acceptable. The eternal time out is nothing more than sweeping someone under the rug and through the cracks.

But she stabbed her and cut her multiple times. It sounds like it was pretty brutal. That might have been a bit more than therapy could handle

Anyone that has ever raised a girl through her teen years and menstruation could understand "brutal" as an underestimate. :laugh: :woohoo: :evil:

Or, you know, we could just kill them and not have to deal with it at all. But i'm pretty sure that one is going away. Too profitable to keep them in prison.

I think the majority of the general population has a hard time looking at someone who stabbed a woman 33 times, someone who stalks, tortures, and kills multiple people, someone who raped multiple children, etc. and still come from a place of love when dealing with them. And it's understandable that it would be difficult to do that.

I think that therapy should absolutely be required for anyone who commits a crime, not just to help them work out how they can keep from committing crimes again, but also because prison life is no cakewalk. People should also be provided with therapy while they are re-assimilating back into the general population.

I think that part of the reason we can't afford to give everyone in prison the attention they need is because there are so many people in jail for the dumbest things. We do not need to be arresting children for accidentally blowing up science experiments, burping in class, spilling crumbs, pouring milk on each other, drawing on desks, etc. Why do some schools have three or four principals if kids are just getting arrested anyway? Clearly the administrators are not disciplining kids. It's a waste of time and money, and it is just the tip of the iceberg on stupid laws that we waste time and money putting people in prison for. Then when we have real criminals who need real help, we can't afford it.