Dying murderer and Manson follower denied prison release

Parent Cafe
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<p>Curious about what you think.</p>

<p>What this woman did was heinous. At first, I thought that she deserved to die in prison and not to have the benefit of the mercy that she so callously denied her victims. What swayed me to the other side was the cost of her imprisonment and the extent of her current impairment. </p>

<p>Other than revenge, I don’t see any benefit to having her die in prison. Having been with a dear friend who was dying of cancer that had spread to her brain, I also feel that Atkins being in prison while suffering from terminal cancer already has been karmic revenge for the horrific suffering she caused others.</p>

<p>(CNN) – Susan Atkins, a terminally ill former Charles Manson follower convicted in the murder of actress Sharon Tate, on Tuesday was denied a compassionate release from prison.</p>

<p>Atkins, 60, has been diagnosed with brain cancer and has had a leg amputated, her attorney said. In June, she requested the release, available to terminally ill inmates with less than six months to live.</p>

<p>The California Board of Parole Hearings’ decision – posted Tuesday on its Web site – came after a public hearing on Atkins’ request. It means the request will not be forwarded to the Los Angeles Superior Court that sentenced Atkins…</p>

<p>incent Bugliosi, who prosecuted Atkins and other members of the Manson Family, said he supported her release, if only to save the state money. Through Monday, the cost for Atkins’ medical care since she was hospitalized March 18 totaled more than $1.15 million, and the costs for guarding her hospital room are more than $308,000, said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton.</p>

<p>Terminally ill inmates rarely are allowed compassionate release, records show. In 2007, 60 such requests were made to the department, Thornton has said. Ten were approved.</p>

<p>Atkins, who has been incarcerated since 1971, is California’s longest-serving female inmate. According to a Web site maintained by her husband and attorney, James Whitehouse, she is now a born-again Christian. During her incarceration, the site says, Atkins worked to help at-risk youth, violent crime victims and homeless children, among others. The Web site does not mention Atkins’ illness.</p>

<p>Lampel said last month Atkins is paralyzed on one side.</p>

<p>“She can talk a little bit,” Lampel said. “She can’t sit up in bed without assistance, and obviously she can’t walk around because she’s an amputee.”</p>

<p>[Ailing</a> Manson follower denied release from prison - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/15/release.denied/index.html]Ailing”>Ailing Manson follower denied release from prison - CNN.com)</p>

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<p>Well, Atkins wasn’t particularly compassionate to Sharon Tate, was she.</p>

<p>That said, I’m generally not an eye-for-an-eye person. But I don’t see any compelling reason to let her out of jail for the three months or so until her death. The “state” will still have to pay her medical care, since she has no insurance. There will be logistical issues – getting her to wherever she will go. </p>

<p>I just don’t see any reason to let her out. Lots of people die in jail. The term “life imprisonment” should mean what it says.</p>

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<p>Her medical care costs even more in prison because she also has to be guarded all of the time. </p>

<p>She also may not need to be hospitalized all of the time if she’s released from prison. My dying friend was cared for by her husband at home until the day of her death. A hospice nurse came in for about an hour a day to do things like help bathing my friend. That’s far cheaper than is 24/7 hospitalization.</p>

<p>It is true that decades ago Atkins showed no mercy as she killed people. I do think that her sufferings while imprisoned have brought home to her the horrific nature of what she did and how the people whom she helped kill suffered.</p>

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<p>I agree with VeryHappy. I’m not glad that she’s dying, but I don’t think killing people while they beg for their lives merits a compassionate release.</p>

<p>Her brother, Steve Atkins, said, “Please let us be with Susan in private in her last days, to pray with her and give our last good-byes.” That sure wasn’t given to Sharon Tate and the other murder victims, so I fail to see why Susan Atkins deserves any better. I’m sure the Atkins family has visiting privileges, probably more so given her current condition. That will have to suffice - it’s what other less notorious criminals and their families have to endure if their loved ones are sick or dying in prison.</p>

<p>Someone has to pay for her medical care anyway as Atkins can’t, so there’s really no reason for her to leave the prison hospital system. I think the additional cost of a prison guard is negligible - those folks don’t exactly make boatloads of $$$. Plus, who’s to say that the prison system wouldn’t require some sort of guarded supervision at any health facility outside of the prison system? In actuality, they may have been FORCED to post a guard because of fear for Ms. Atkins’ safety from the wrath of others if she’s outside the prison walls.</p>

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<p>Hmmm. Lots of speculation in your post, ColoradoMomof2.</p>

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<p>Just wondering, why a lot people suddenly seem to find their way to back to Christianity when they are sent to prison. Why couldn’t they found Christ on the outside and stayed away from crime?
<why insist=“” on=“” always=“” doing=“” the=“” opposite?=“”> sarcasm here.</why></p>

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<p>LakeWashington, not really much speculation. I used to be a former Deputy District Attorney, so I’m basing it off personal experience. I think what I wrote is pretty darned accurate.</p>

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<p>A life sentence should be just that. I don’t support the death penalty, but I don’t ever want to hear of someone sentenced to death getting out, no matter how sympathetic the circumstances. This particular woman is probably no threat, but what about the next person given compassionate release who does something bad? Life without parole. Die in prison. This is what it looks like because everyone dies of something. If she gets out then there is no such thing as life in prison and I’ll have to re-think my position on the death penalty because some people should never, ever be released.</p>

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<p>The quality of mercy is not strain’d.</p>

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<p>Many CA prison guards do make boatloads of money. Her guards are probably on OT.</p>

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<p>“This particular woman is probably no threat, but what about the next person given compassionate release who does something bad?”</p>

<p>Compassionate release is for people who are dying. To get it, inmates have to be assessed as dying. In addition, I am sure they are assessed to make sure they can’t harm anyone.</p>

<p>In the case of Atkins, she is paralyzed on one side of her body, can barely talk, and is missing a leg. Not in a position to harm others. If others who get compassionate release are also in such dire straits, I don’t think one need to worry about their harming others.</p>

<p>I also don’t see any reason for society to continue to have to pay for 24/7 prison guards for dying criminals who are too ill to harm anyone.</p>

<p>As I see it, while Atkins is being punished by being incaracerated while helpless and dying, the public is being punished, too, by having to pay for her incarceration. Costs would be cheaper to the public if she were dying at home with her family.</p>

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<p>It’s not about Atkins, herself, Northstarmom, it’s about the principle and also making sure that there is no precedent for future lawyers to play around. Here’s what’s in my mind: I worked at a law firm that dealt with death penalty appeals. I personally witnessed several instances (and am aware of several others outside of the firm) in which the defense created out of whole cloth a scenario under which the defendant was deemed to be mentally ■■■■■■■■. In one event, the mother was coached to say that he had been dropped as a baby on his head. The team knew with absolute certainty that this hadn’t happened but they used it, along with expert testimony, to get the sentence commuted. These are good people who deeply oppose the death penalty and would do anything to circumvent that. I would never want to see a circumstance under which medical testimony was created or assisted because allowing the terminal to be released became the norm.</p>

<p>As for life without parole, if not a Manson family member, then who? Seriously. Who would be allowed to die in prison if not Susan Atkins? Where would you draw the line? Six month? Three month? Partial paralysis? Muscle weakness? If each person then pushes the envelope, are there any crimes so heinous that the perpetrator can truly expect to never see the light of day? If you allow a person with cancer to get out, what about heart disease or something else?</p>

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<p>ColoradoMomof2, how exactly would the state/public be on the hook for medical expenses incurred by Atkins after her release? Generally, folks who have little or insufficient medical insurance are stuck with their huge hospital bills, unless they have benefactor or if the hospitals waive their charges.</p>

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<p>I guess what I’m saying is this. When the sentence was handed down, isn’t this what the punishment was really about? Saying to the convicted person that society will not take your life because we are not barbarians, but that the action taken made you forever unfit to join the company of other citizens? That the punishment actually is the denial of comfort, companionship and freedom at the time of death, whenever it comes? I would be wholly on board with freeing someone from an extended sentence in a situation like this, but not life without parole. That has to mean what it says or it means nothing.</p>

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<p>You make a good point, zoosermom.</p>

<p>It makes sense because of course at some point inmates with life without parole will be dying.</p>

<p>I suppose that if a sentence were to become “life without parole until you’re dying”, inmates would find some way to fake dying.</p>

<p>Your comment also highlights why compassionate release for dying inmates shouldn’t be done for any inmates who got life imprisonment sentences.</p>

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<p>Thanks NSM. I’ve thought about this a lot, as a right-winger who can’t abide the death penalty!</p>

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<p>I agree with zoosermom. And I do worry about some vigilante making the situation worse should she be released.</p>

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<p>Personally, I just want the standards for compassionate release to be applied even-handedly, without consideration for the celebrity status (or lack thereof) of the convict. In other words, if another person similarly situation would be released, Atkins should be too. On the other hand, she shouldn’t get any additional consideration because she’s famous (less likely, I suspect). I do think what she’s done in the last 37 years should be taken into account–I have no idea what that actually is, of course.</p>

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<p>Let her die in a prison cell. Take her out of the hospital and save money right there. She’s in prison-- there should be SOME suffering!!</p>

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<p>Compassion does seem inconsistent with what she did. What would that make it – a heinously compassionate discharge?</p>