# Inhuman monster gets off light with life in prison **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 21, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929 "2005-01-21T16:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/21 "2005-01-22T17:21:58Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Repentance is an act that can take place any time after the act has been committed. Just because he hasn’t repented now doesn’t mean he won’t do so in the future. That’s why I’m against the death penalty, even for this guy: salvation of some sort is still possible, however unlikely. Salvation my ass. Fuck\*\*\* his \*\* \* salvation. He gets no consideration - humane or otherwise - after what he did to a defenseless child. Throw the switch on that bastard, and let’s move on. (And this from someone that is generally on the fence about capital punishment. I just don’t have a shred of mercy for convicted child molesters and child killers. _Not a shred_.) ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/22 "2005-01-22T17:24:12Z")
I’m glad you’re not God, **booka**. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/23 "2005-01-22T17:28:55Z")
> [@clayton\_e](#): > > This man is sick… twisted… disturbed… fuck… .he’s not human. Unfortunately, he is human. Just not a very good one. Here’s hoping for a long painful life sentence. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/24 "2005-01-22T19:11:58Z")
> [@SallyCan'tDance](#): > > I’m afraid this revolting behaviour DOES make him a human. Sigh. I know that it does, I’m just in denial about it. > [@AHunter3](#): > > If I thought we could fix this person so he really isn’t like this any more, genuine rehabilitation, I would favor that. In cases like this, I don’t think we can, so I would, with some sorrow and with great gravity put him down in the most humane way possible, for the safety of the rest of us. This guy makes me more sad than anything else. It depresses me to think that our species and our society produced such a miserable failure. > [@photopat](#): > > I’ve often heard that child molesters and abusers are the lowest of the low in prison. Padilla did not get off easy. > [@pulykamell](#): > > But don’t kid yourselves. If you’ve ever been to a state or county prison, you’d know that “life in jail” isn’t exactly getting off easy. Despite his heinous crimes, I don’t wish Padilla to be subjected to beatings and forced sodomy in prison. I would just like to see him gone. He simply does not deserve to live, and the earth would be a better place without him on it. > [@Metacom](#): > > Repentance is an act that can take place any time after the act has been committed. Just because he hasn’t repented now doesn’t mean he won’t do so in the future. That’s why I’m against the death penalty, even for this guy: salvation of some sort is still possible, however unlikely. I’m not interested in saving felons. I don’t think our prison system can effectively rehabilitate criminals. I think a majority of the people in jail are simply inclined to commit crimes, and that trying to reform them is likely a waste of time. For those that aren’t criminal at heart and ended up in jail because of circumstance, hard luck, etc., the simple fear of going back to jail should be enough to keep them on the straight and narrow once they get out. I’m not saying that prisons should make no educational or vocational effort to help their prisoners better themselves, but simply that I don’t believe in reducing sentences or “giving people a chance” because they might repent for their actions (with an exception for minors, I believe that they have a much greater chance to change their behavior than the adult criminal population.) If Johnny Q Lawbreaker can straighten out after getting out of prison that’s great, but first he needs to do the time that his crime merits. Some sense of mercy can still be present in sentencing, but it should not be an overriding factor. ---
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/25 "2005-01-22T19:49:04Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > I’m glad you’re not God, **booka**. Well, given the frequency and horror of death, violence, and disastrous ruin that children and innocents all over the world experience every day… … well, I guess you can have your feel-good, fairy tale god. Sleep tight - he’s surely watching over you, and you have nothing to worry about. And if something bad happens, I’m sure that your god will have a darn good reason. ---
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/26 "2005-01-22T20:37:23Z")
Aww, heck. I shouldn’t be such a meanie. Yes, **Metacom** , you and I are both glad that I’m not God. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/27 "2005-01-22T22:17:42Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > I’m not interested in saving felons. I don’t think our prison system can effectively rehabilitate criminals. I think a majority of the people in jail are simply inclined to commit crimes, and that trying to reform them is likely a waste of time. You do know that only about a quarter of those who get released from prison go back to prison for committing a new crime, right? And that a majority don’t get convicted of another crime? (Both statistics are based on a three-year [study](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/rpr94.pdf), but after three years the rates start levelling off, which is probably why they went with three years…) ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/28 "2005-01-22T22:25:57Z")
> [@booka](#): > > Sleep tight - he’s surely watching over you, and you have nothing to worry about. And if something bad happens, I’m sure that your god will have a darn good reason. I don’t think God keeps bad things from happening; I think he makes the bad things not matter as much. > [@booka](#): > > Aww, heck. I shouldn’t be such a meanie. I appreciate the contrition. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/29 "2005-01-22T23:39:49Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > Just thinking of a quick example here - remember Leopold and Loeb who killed a young boy back in the 1920’s? They were each sentenced to _life in prison_ for the murder _AND 99 years_ for kidnapping. Loeb was killed in prison in 1936. However, Leopold was paroled in 1958 after 33 years in prison. (Does 33 years = life PLUS 99 years ???) Just a quick note - Leopold was paroled because of his extraordinary conduct while incarcerated. He educated thousands of convicts, allowing them a much better chance of making themselves productive citizens once they were released. If I recall correctly, he also volunteered to provide nursing care during some sort of epidemic (Typhoid?) at no small risk to himself. He did all of this will under the assumption he would never regain his freedom. The sentence was reduced to parole _because of his conduct_ which was exemplary and far and above the average prisoner’s “good conduct”. He was on parole for life, under threat of return to prison for the remainder of his life if he strayed from the straight and narrow. It other words, it was an exceptional case - most felons do not behave themselves to that degree, and, as I mentioned, this change was purely on his part, not because parole was dangled as a bribe. This is NOT the usual course for someone convicted and sentenced to life+99. Do I condone what the parole board did? Not entirely… but he’s a very poor example to use in arguing for the death penality or harsher penalities. If he had been executed there are significant numbers of people who might never had achieved an education enabling them to make an honest life after they left prison, and surely that is worth something to society. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/30 "2005-01-23T01:07:10Z")
Well, I don’t think ‘they’ went for a death penalty because it may have been hard to prove that he intended to kill her. Now don’t get me wrong. He is a really bad person and deserves his life in prison. However, if had been doing this to her for a while and she always bounced back before than he probably didn’t think he was going to kill her. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/31 "2005-01-23T02:50:22Z")
He is a monster. he should rot in prison until the day he dies, and then be buried in the prison. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/32 "2005-01-23T04:08:56Z")
**Broomstick** \* Leopold … educated thousands of convicts … he also volunteered to provide nursing care during some sort of epidemic (Typhoid?) at no small risk to himself. He did all of this … under the assumption he would never regain his freedom. Do I condone what the parole board did? Not entirely… but he’s a very poor example to use in arguing for the death penality or harsher penalities. \* I was aware of his exemplary conduct in prison and knew a “Doper” would bring this up sooner or later. I also know that he was _never_ given even the slightest hint of the possibility of parole. However, by doing this, the parole board negated the full penalty of that conviction. I am _not_ someone who believes in enforcimg the “letter of the law” but in a heinous crime such as Leopold’s, at best he should have been given priveleges or moved to a minimum security prison - but not freedom. [collective SDMB Pat On The Back] And I admire the “Dopers” for discussing this emotionally charged topic without resorting to nasty insults, rants, etc. - especially this being “the Pit”. [/collective SDMB Pat On The Back] ---
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/33 "2005-01-23T05:28:25Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > I don’t think God keeps bad things from happening; I think he makes the bad things not matter as much. > I appreciate the contrition. Thank you. If you listen carefully, in a far-off place, you’ll hear me barfing right about now. You godders are a real piece of work. The things you do and say and think in order to be able to sleep at night are just amazing. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/34 "2005-01-23T09:42:24Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > You do know that only about a quarter of those who get released from prison go back to prison for committing a new crime, right? And that a majority don’t get convicted of another crime? (Both statistics are based on a three-year [study](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/rpr94.pdf), but after three years the rates start levelling off, which is probably why they went with three years…) Are you kidding me? This study says that within 3 years, 67% of releasees were re-arrested for new crimes, 47% were re-convicted, and a mere 25% of the 275,000 of released prisoners went back to PRISON, i.e., served time for serious offenses that couldn’t be served in local jails. I’d say the recidivism rates showed in this study are pretty damning (I do appreciate the cite though.) ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/35 "2005-01-23T16:06:36Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > Are you kidding me? This study says that within 3 years, 67% of releasees were re-arrested for new crimes, 47% were re-convicted, and a mere 25% of the 275,000 of released prisoners went back to PRISON, i.e., served time for serious offenses that couldn’t be served in local jails. I’d say the recidivism rates showed in this study are pretty damning (I do appreciate the cite though.) First off, I don’t think the re-arrest rate matters too much, because guilt hasn’t been proven and I think the people released from prison are in a social class where the police are more likely to be suspicious of them. So I think re-conviction and re-imprisonment rates are more relevant. Second, you’re misinterpreting the 25% back-to-prison rate. It’s not back-to-prison, it’s back-to-prison for committing a new crime. It doesn’t mean that they didn’t commit a crime bad enough to go back to prison, it means they didn’t commit a crime bad enough to go back to prison AND they didn’t violate the terms of their parole, which are of course more stringent then the law. It’s all subjective, of course, but I think the fact that a quarter of those who get released from prison stay clean is pretty solid evidence that a relatively large chunk of felons are rehabilitated. But then, I’d be in favor of rehabilitation even if the odds of someone not comitting another crime were much smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/36 "2005-01-23T16:07:57Z")
> [@booka](#): > > You godders are a real piece of work. The things you do and say and think in order to be able to sleep at night are just amazing. And what things do I and say and think to enable myself to sleep at night? I can’t think of anything offhand that would preclude me from sleeping or even being happy if I was a non-believer. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/37 "2005-01-23T21:24:51Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Broomstick** > \* > Leopold … educated thousands of convicts … he also volunteered to provide nursing care during some sort of epidemic (Typhoid?) at no small risk to himself. He did all of this … under the assumption he would never regain his freedom. > Do I condone what the parole board did? Not entirely… but he’s a very poor example to use in arguing for the death penality or harsher penalities. > \* > I was aware of his exemplary conduct in prison and knew a “Doper” would bring this up sooner or later. I also know that he was _never_ given even the slightest hint of the possibility of parole. However, by doing this, the parole board negated the full penalty of that conviction. > I am _not_ someone who believes in enforcimg the “letter of the law” but in a heinous crime such as Leopold’s, at best he should have been given priveleges or moved to a minimum security prison - but not freedom. And I expected pretty much your response 😃 As I pointed out - his conduct in prison was _extraordinary_. And I also mentioned I didn’t completely condone giving him parole. I was raising the point that he was an extremely unusual individual and that _in his particular case_ an alteration in sentence _33 years after it was handed down_ may have been called for. Just as there have been other sentences commuted to time served, or pardoned entirely, due to extraordinary actions on the part of the convicted parties. There are so many exceptional things about his case that he’s just not a good example for this argument, particularly when there are so many more typical instances to use an example. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/38 "2005-01-23T23:41:33Z")
The law arose in large degree to insure fairness, or more specifically in the criminal justice system the goal is to “fairly” settle disputes between the State and it’s citizens. Something that would fall under that IMO, would be punishment that is relative to the crime/harm inflicted upon society. In my opinion if you remove someone from society by killing them, society has every right to remove you from society by killing you. Vengeance is fairly reprehensible, though. As for salvation, I hope this man gets salvation–from God, salvation is a matter for God, not for the state to be concerned about. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/39 "2005-01-23T23:45:18Z")
By the way I need to point out some hypocrisy here. Some of you are saying you are anti-DP but hope he has a “bad” time in prison et cetera. Basically you’re implying you hope this guy gets beaten and raped for the next 50 or so years of his life. Last I checked he was sentence to life imprisonment, not lifetime rapes and beatings, I don’t see how you can justify that as any bit better than the death penalty. At least the death penalty is actually a statutory construct of the state, that pretty much does what it says. Imprisonment shouldn’t = torture and rape, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929/40 "2005-01-24T00:08:55Z")
Well, I, for one, am in favor of the DP in certain cases. This being a prime example. Since he didn’t get the DP, I hope that every day he rots in prison, he’ll wish he had. As for salvation from God, tell that to the 2-yr old. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inhuman-monster-gets-off-light-with-life-in-prison/285929.md?page=3)