Susan Atkins is up for a compassionate release from the California jails after serving 40 years of a life sentence* for the 1969 killing of actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child. (We popularly think of Charles Mason when we recall these murders, but it was Atkins who did the stabbing.)
She seems to be dying of brain cancer and has had a leg amputated due to an unrelated condition. At least some members of the Tate family want her to die in her cell.
What think we?
*Actually a death sentence, but the US Supreme Court ruled … all that.
How exactly is that a compassionate act? Does Atkins have anyone willing to take care of her in her last weeks? Will she have any sort of hospice care? Any opportunity to enjoy freedom? Lacking those things, the merciful part of me says that keeping her in jail and providing palliative care are the kinder things to do.
If those things are available, then I’d like to know if she ever showed remorse for her crimes. If she did, I’d consider it, but I can’t say that I’m fond of the idea. Either way, I’d rather see her die in prison.
It’s generally more economical to let these folks die in the community. It costs a lot to die in prison, frankly. Secure hospital or even hospice units cost much more to administer than similar ones outside the walls.
If she’s no threat to anyone now, I’d argue that saving the taxpayers some money is a good reason to consider releasing her.
Still not too late for the death penalty. Barring that she should be free to walk around with the rest of us as soon as the same opportunity is afforded Sharon Tate.
She indeed has expressed remorse. Cite- her book entitled CHILD OF SATAN, CHILD OF GOD. However, she also claimed her confession of killing Sharon Tate & her baby was bad-ass bragging, and that while she was fully guilty of complicity
in the murders, Charles Tex Watson actually did the killing. He, also a professed Christian, has vouched for her change of story. Take that for what it’s worth.
Give her proper medical treatment & keep her in prison till her life is over.
Update- just read the story- amazingly, Bugliosi has said he had no problem with compassionate release. Still doesn’t change my mind.
Although I’m sure their are many valid prison conversions to Christianity, I personally think most of them are just prisoners trying to get another angle to get out/have their sentences lessened.
While I don’t really know anything specific about Susan Atkins, I think this statement is just not a logical basis for running a criminal justice system. If you decided the wishes of the family of a victim trumped all cost and compassion arguments, you’d be basing sentences and parole decisions on how vengeful the family was, rather than on what’s good for society. The criminal justice system can’t just serve the victim of the specific crime, it has to serve society as a whole.
OK, this is why I seldom venture into Great Debates.
When I said that I understand that prison isn’t about vengeance, I did not mean to imply that I agreed. I just assumed that by stating the Tates’ wishes people would quickly remind me that prison is not about vengeance. As it turns out, personally I think vengeance is a very understandable component.
So, basically I said what I said to avoid debate. In Great Debates. Now, off to General Questions where I belong.
