Monday January 5, 2009, 5:54 pm
A major reform in the judicial system including the incarceration policy is long overdue.

Monday January 5, 2009, 6:49 pm
This is so sad. These people should be enjoying family life with their grandkids. Living their GOLDEN YEARS. JUSTICE IS SO BLIND!!! and true criminals are outside living comfortable and enjoying all kind of commodities that they don't deserve. Thanks Dearest Phyllis.
Noted with sadness.
Much Love, Black Dalia

Monday January 5, 2009, 7:05 pm
There are psyhcopaths who are dangerous at any age. The man in the picture was already 67 at the time of his last offense.

"And though older people are less likely to commit crimes, some still do. Beyrer was 67 when he was convicted in Virginia Beach of statutory rape, aggravated sexual battery and forcible sodomy."

Would you want him in an old age home with your granny?

Monday January 5, 2009, 8:07 pm
The accounts of the crimes these men committed include murder, rape, and other truly serious and violent acts. Old age does not mitigate what they did and they should serve out their full sentences.

I've heard people say that inmates such as these should be released so the state will no longer have to bear the burden of their medical care. However, I believe the article addressed that well - that it's likely the state will bear that burden whether they are in prison or out.

The people who should be enjoying their "golden years" with their families are the ones who were the murdered victims of some of these criminals. Because they didn't deserve to die before reaching their golden years.

I have little sympathy for these men. They made their own choices.

Monday January 5, 2009, 10:42 pm
Noted..Thanks Phyllis.. I agree with all of you above this comment. You bet ya..the criminals all get old no matter what their diagnosis is. I saw a special on tv a few years ago about the old people that were in prison. And most of them were dying with one thing or another. Looked just like a nursing home until you saw the guards. Sad world we live in!

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 3:44 am
Noted. Thanks Phyllis. Commit the crime, do the time....in jail.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 5:04 am
Mentally ill and terminally ill prisoners are worth more to prison profiteers than young, healthy specimens - usually three times more money is paid by taxpayers to keep such persons behind bars. Therefore, your hope may be in vain, unless you help to end private prisons. (The petition is near the bottom of my Care2 Page.) Regular incarcerees cost taxpayers around $50,000 per year to keep imprisoned, but real sick folks cost taxpayers around $150,000+ annually. Here is an article about a BRAIN DEAD MAN DENIED COMPASSIONATE RELEASE FOR HIS FAMILY TO CARE FOR HIM:

http://my.nowpublic.com/health/brain-dead-inmate-denied-early-release

See a picture of all the families begging for the release of their loved ones who suffer with HIV/AIDS, acute mental illness, etc. They just want to be with their sick family members. Read their pitiful signs:

http://my.nowpublic.com/strange/teens-get-felony-charges-squirrel-killing

Blessings,

Mary

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 5:17 am
Mary, the article says nothing about Deerfield being a "for-profit" facility. Nor could I find anything on the web which says that.

And I'm sure the inmates' families want to be with their loved ones. But their loved ones are serving their sentences for very serious crimes. Illness does not mitigate the crime of murder, rape, etc.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 8:12 am
It is sad that older prisioners are in jail. but they committed crimes and were sentenced to live in prison. Just because they are old does not make thier crimal offence less a crime now. I do not believe just because they are old they should be let off of thier sentence. I do think it is disgusting that many younger more violent poeple are getting shorter sentences or getting no sentence. The judical system is screwed up. Crime is increasing and it a simply a fact we do not have enough space to house all the offenders. I do not know the answer but I believe age should not be a factor in whether a person serves their time behind bars.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 9:13 am
Sadly noted. Thanks Phyllis.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 1:15 pm
I don't know, I have mixed emotions on this one.

On one hand I feel that you should be punished for the crimes that you commit especially if it's something like rape or murder.

On the other hand some (the key word being some) people change with age. People mature with age and we regret the horrors we did in our youth. Some people are truly sorry for their crimes and probably would reoffend if given the chance.

If the whole point of our correctional system is to reform criminals for eventual reentry into society then some of the number of elderly inmates shows just how much that isn't happening. Of course there's always exceptions to that rule(i.e hardened criminals, serial killers, etc)

The bottom line really comes down to this:

Eventually you will run out of room to put criminals if a proper rehabilitation program isn't in place. We simply cannot sit back and say that criminals aren't our problem because they are. Proper rehabilitation will eventually drop the number of repeat offender and lessen prison and jail populations....in theory anyway.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 2:00 pm
Getting all warm and fuzzy 'bout "golden years" here - how 'bout this guy?

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 2:01 pm
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/305797/charles_manson_interview_san_quentin_prison/

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 2:50 pm
Correction: The last sentence of my second paragraph should read

"Some people are truly sorry for their crimes and probably wouldn't reoffend if given the chance. "

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 2:51 pm
Noted with some sadness. Thanks,Phyllis.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 2:55 pm
Julie writes:

"I do think it is disgusting that many younger more violent poeple are getting shorter sentences or getting no sentence."

I think it's sad that the parents of these kids haven't trained their kids better in the principles of right & wrong. Kids of today need our help.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 2:57 pm
Michael, the whole point of the prison system is not merely about rehabilitating people for eventual reentry into society. Incarceration has multiple prongs: rehabilitation for those who will eventually be released, punishment for their crimes, and segregation from society to protect innocent people from being victimized again by the criminals.

If a prisoner is serving a life sentence then, unless he is approved for parole (and some are serving life without parole), rehabilitation for societal reentry is moot.

If any of these men are eligible for parole and are truly "sorry" for their crimes I'm sure that will be taken into consideration by the parole board. But merely being sorry or even being rehabilitated does not mean that a sentence should be commuted. Because no matter how sorry they may be or how much they may have changed they still committed the crimes. And their victims are still just as much victimized. And, sadly, how many times have we seen supposedly "rehabilitated" and contrite prisoners paroled who went on to commit the same crimes after that parole. Our greatest sympathy and concern must always be with the victims - both the already-victimized and the potential victims who may yet be harmed.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 3:44 pm
Lindsey writes:

"Michael, the whole point of the prison system is not merely about rehabilitating people for eventual reentry into society."

Lindsey, I never said rehabilitation was the only facet of incarceration. I was only speaking of one side of it.

"segregation from society to protect innocent people from being victimized again by the criminals.

Another way you prevent people from being victimized again is by rehabilitation. You can continue to lock them away but as we've been seeing throughout the US is that we are running out of places to put people. If people don't want prisons & jails in their backyards then we need to continue to look at alternative forms of sentencing and rehabilitation. Not just for prison population control but for the benefits of society in the long run.

"If a prisoner is serving a life sentence then, unless he is approved for parole (and some are serving life without parole), rehabilitation for societal reentry is moot."

I disagree. Rehabilitation can benefit people on life sentences too. It can help them realize the impact of their crimes and how it affects society and the victim. It is possible for some prisoners to get an education in prison as well as serve their communities, though in a somewhat limited function.

They can also help serve as role models in prison to other prisoners so the ones not serving life might be able to re enter society more productively. Impossible you say? This already happens to some degree already.

"If any of these men are eligible for parole and are truly "sorry" for their crimes I'm sure that will be taken into consideration by the parole board."

Sometimes but not always it can depend on the board. In addition to other factors such as severity of the crime, incidents with other prisoners and staff while in prison and whether or not they've volunteered for counseling or how they've responded to any mandatory counseling if recommended by the court at sentencing.

"But merely being sorry or even being rehabilitated does not mean that a sentence should be commuted."

True. Things should be taken on a case by case basis in some matters.

"And their victims are still just as much victimized. And, sadly, how many times have we seen supposedly "rehabilitated" and contrite prisoners paroled who went on to commit the same crimes after that parole. Our greatest sympathy and concern must always be with the victims - both the already-victimized and the potential victims who may yet be harmed."

This is true. That is about the victims being victimized. There have been examples of prisoners that have been successfully rehabilitated and made amends with their victims. I think that when we paint a situation with a broad brush we can overlook the exceptions to the rule.

I used to work with prisoners to help them develop life skills. I got to know some of the prisoners quite well. In many cases they were very sorry for their crimes and were doing all they could in their power to make amends to the victims and to society.

There were some that took longer than other to reach and many other I wasn't able to reach at all. Most had one thing in common, They all wanted to be better people and not repeat their mistakes.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 3:49 pm
Please do not think that I am unsympathetic to the everyday struggles and fears of the victim. I do have a personal friend who was a victim of rape and she told me that she would never want to see anyone else go through what she did even if that meant giving the prisoner the tools needed to start on a new path.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 4:04 pm
Alternative methods of sentencing are wonderful for many offenses. Partly because I think that prison is never by any means the best means of rehabilitation for anyone (although some will undoubtedly be scared straight - I know I would be.) And partly because it keeps the prison population down (another way to keep it down would be to sensibly legalize drugs for adults and stop criminalizing other consensual behavior which harms no one but the participant himself.) Of course for the worst crimes like murder or rape, I don't believe any other alternative form would be appropriate (although I'd be happy to consider permanent surgical castration for serious and violent rapists) - since the severity of the crime demands that they be locked away from the rest of us.

Unfortunately, although many prisoners are perhaps well-meaning in their desire for rehabilitation, there is still a very noticeable recidivism rate once they are let out, especially for certain types of crimes.

I don't mind giving a shoplifter the benefit of the doubt. Or many other non-violent offenders. But the truly violent ones who commit really heinous crimes, I feel, should not be trusted again. Because although some will indeed rehabilitate themselves, we can never be sure of their sincerity. And the consequences of our being wrong will be devastating.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 4:55 pm
“Alternative methods of sentencing are wonderful for many offenses. Partly because I think that prison is never by any means the best means of rehabilitation for anyone (although some will undoubtedly be scared straight - I know I would be.) And partly because it keeps the prison population down (another way to keep it down would be to sensibly legalize drugs for adults and stop criminalizing other consensual behavior which harms no one but the participant himself)”

Yes, drugs do need to be legalized and in fact they’ve even done that in my state of Colorado.

”I don't mind giving a shoplifter the benefit of the doubt.”

Yes, it usually costs more to prosecute the person than the amount of what was shoplifted.

“But the truly violent ones who commit really heinous crimes, I feel, should not be trusted again. Because although some will indeed rehabilitate themselves, we can never be sure of their sincerity. And the consequences of our being wrong will be devastating.”

I think allowances should be made for certain types of manslaughter (In cases of self defense that result in accidental death). I see your point on other heinous crimes.

Another thing to consider is that crime rates go up during times of economic stress(like right now). Typically petty crimes as well as violent increase during these periods.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 7:52 pm
Criminal's are people, flawed like everyone. They have their backgrounds that may have lead them to behave in the manner they did that got them in trouble in the first place. This needs to be addressed. We can't have a civil society if we only see things in black & white. The judicial system paints all crimes in black & white and doesn't take reality into consideration. I mean the shades of gray.

Until the Dept. of Corrections lives up to it's name and starts throwing money into helping criminal's deal with the issues that lead them on the path they traveled, the recidivism rate will keep going up.

Everyone deserves a chance. Some people go thru their whole lives never having had a person that empathized with them and really tried to understand the reasons they have behaved in a destructive manner.

I think almost everyone's basic underlying desire is to be cared about and to be a good force in society. Even those who have murdered.

If prisons became psychiatric treatment centers with a goal of helping and understanding people, then the whole atmosphere of a prison would change. The peer pressure, criminal support setup that they've got going on in jails and prisons now, would lose it's power and instead of support for learning the trade of being a criminal, there would be a stronger element of support for learning to understand themselves and each other. Peer pressure would lean toward a healthy and positive direction. Throwing people away with no hope creates the kind of violent, horrible conditions that exist in our jails and prisons now.

Throwing people away with no hope should not be such an easy decision.

The problem with having compassion for criminals is that it would take alot of work and patience to work with people with such negatively impacted pasts. But the benefits would far outweigh the costs. These would be people, who when released, would have a far greater chance at doing good in society.

And in the long term, that's what would do justice for the victims of crime. And I don't mean just life sentences. Even for smaller crimes a month can seem like years in such a horrid place that can scar someone for life.

The word 'justice' does not mean that one person should be held at fault and punished. It's a more complicated idea than that. You can't just keep throwing people away.

We're a prison oriented society and I, for one, think it's a statement of the mentality of the American people. I mean, if we throw people out like the trash when they commit crimes what do we expect to happen when they get out?? You might as well give everyone the death penalty if you think the 'throw away' method is the way to handle it. Then they won't come out of the 'Corrections' system angrier and more disenfranchised, creating more havoc in this so called 'civilized' society.

Cesar Millan shows that even vicious killer pit bulls can be rehabilitated, yet we would rather kill humans than put in the effort to rehabiltate them.

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 9:57 pm
I support the long term sentencing for VIOLENT offenders. Noted! Thanks!

Tuesday January 6, 2009, 10:25 pm
I know the article did not say she was in a "for profit" prison, but just the same, taxpayers pay $185 BILLION annually to keep 2.3 million Americans in jails and prisons, and 2/3 of them are there for nonviolent offenses. Over 800,000 New Yorkers are in prison for smoking a joint. Taxpayers pay about $150,000 per year to keep the old lady on this picture in prison while she dies.

I just feel the money would be better spent somewhere else. We do not need the prison system to "save" us from this old, sick lady who has ALREADY LEARNED HER LESSON, or else it is too late to teach her one!

Mary Neal
http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com

.

Wednesday January 7, 2009, 12:55 am
if it was the bush family behind bars there is the justice!!