People are More Than the Sum of Their Crimes
To add to TChris' excellent post about this yesterday: For any variety of reasons, good people can commit bad, even horrible crimes. The question is, if they have demonstrated real reform in prison, should the parole board be allowed to deny them release solely because of the severity of their crime?
The New York Times explores this issue today in To More Inmates, Life Term Means Dying Behind Bars.
....driven by tougher laws and political pressure on governors and parole boards, thousands of lifers are going into prisons each year, and in many states only a few are ever coming out, even in cases where judges and prosecutors did not intend to put them away forever.
Indeed, in just the last 30 years, the United States has created something never before seen in its history and unheard of around the globe: a booming population of prisoners whose only way out of prison is likely to be inside a coffin.
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