Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

alp227

(32,034 posts)
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 04:14 PM Apr 2012

Charles Manson, now 77, gets new chance at parole

Source: LA Times

After 11 failed bids for freedom, notorious serial killer Charles Manson, now 77, is up for parole later this month.

The parole board rejected his bid in 2007, saying Manson "continues to pose an unreasonable danger to others and may still bring harm to anyone he would come in contact with."

Manson refused to participate in that hearing, describing himself as a "prisoner of the political system." He also declined to participate in any psychological evaluations in 2007.

"He refused to cooperate, so the conclusion they drew from the reports is he still remains a danger to the public," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Sequeira said at the time. "He was convicted of nine horrible murders. He has expressed no remorse or empathy for any of the victims."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/06/BAJP1NVEJR.DTL

57 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Charles Manson, now 77, gets new chance at parole (Original Post) alp227 Apr 2012 OP
LOL! slackmaster Apr 2012 #1
Rot in jail. n/t rayofreason Apr 2012 #2
Agreed. This nutcase should stay in jail until his dying day. n/t RebelOne Apr 2012 #9
photo below.... IamK Apr 2012 #3
and now he's a Nazi, to boot. Stay in jail, a-hole wordpix Apr 2012 #34
The tat has been there for YEARS. Nothing new. n/t Hepburn Apr 2012 #39
I believe the public's best interest is served Cirque du So-What Apr 2012 #4
This message was self-deleted by its author raouldukelives Apr 2012 #5
The Laura Bush comparison is ridiculous, and Manson was convicted virgogal Apr 2012 #6
oh for fuck's sake what a sick disgusting post. cali Apr 2012 #12
That pretty much covers it for me... BadtotheboneBob Apr 2012 #17
Well I don't disagree with your assessment. raouldukelives Apr 2012 #52
Post removed Post removed Apr 2012 #20
You really don't know much about the Manson Family, do you? chelsea0011 Apr 2012 #25
I think they should let him out only on the condition that he does a reality show with Snooki. n/t Mojambo Apr 2012 #7
He doesn't want to be Romney's VP, either. TheCowsCameHome Apr 2012 #8
Fingers and toes crossed for you Charlie! nt Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #10
when he was very small - his mother once sold him for a pitcher of beer Douglas Carpenter Apr 2012 #11
The most accurate description for Manson is "incredibly damaged". nolabear Apr 2012 #15
Yes, incredibly damaged is the perfect description, they destroyed what was good in the soul of a polly7 Apr 2012 #37
I know plenty of former abused children Tabasco_Dave Apr 2012 #16
Fortunately very few even severely abused children become violent sociopaths Douglas Carpenter Apr 2012 #18
I heard his father invented the question mark. nt Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #30
Manson himself said he would not attend the hearing. Probably his last, because I read somewhere crunch60 Apr 2012 #13
I do wonder what Charlie's life would have been like, if he had a loving family around him. Must be crunch60 Apr 2012 #14
Manson doesn't want to be paroled. Archae Apr 2012 #19
What am I missing here? -..__... Apr 2012 #21
WITH the possibility of parole alcibiades_mystery Apr 2012 #35
If this had happened a year earlier, and he'd been released... 3waygeek Apr 2012 #22
He'll do what he always does Jack Rabbit Apr 2012 #23
What good could this sociopath bring to society by releasing him? chelsea0011 Apr 2012 #24
At the same time, what harm could he do? harmonicon Apr 2012 #26
I assume u r just kidding. nt Lucky Luciano Apr 2012 #27
"I wouldn't care if he lived next door to me" -..__... Apr 2012 #28
this has sitcom written all over it. nt Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #31
Yea, right. He's a new man. Hell, put him on the Today show for a makeover. chelsea0011 Apr 2012 #44
I didn't say that. harmonicon Apr 2012 #48
"I taught a parrot to say mother-fucker" Seedersandleechers Apr 2012 #29
If he gets paroled...will Charlie audition for the Monkees again? Ken Burch Apr 2012 #32
Well Mitt is looking for a Veep candidate to balance the ticket Botany Apr 2012 #33
he'd never get parole even if he took the hearings NoGOPZone Apr 2012 #36
He's sane enough to know he's not going anywhere. Ever. Fuddnik Apr 2012 #43
Jeeeeeeeeeez, let the sucker die in Jail. Hepburn Apr 2012 #38
That is exactly a reason to release someone, not keep them in prison. David__77 Apr 2012 #41
By "do", I did not mean cause some sort of harm. Hepburn Apr 2012 #54
The story is that when he was young and being released treestar Apr 2012 #56
So, did he actually kill anyone? David__77 Apr 2012 #40
Inciting other people to kill is a crime, too Lydia Leftcoast Apr 2012 #42
That ain't inciting, it's conspiracy. Liber-AL Apr 2012 #50
Even if Manson was only guilty of conspiracy, tabasco Apr 2012 #55
Oh, please. He hogtied the LaBianca family and ordered his pathetic group to slaughter them chelsea0011 Apr 2012 #45
So it's conspiracy. David__77 Apr 2012 #47
You don't see a problem with Manson released from priosn??? obamanut2012 Apr 2012 #53
He's convicted of murder treestar Apr 2012 #57
Why won't this useless amalgamation of mostly carbon just get cancer already? 2ndAmForComputers Apr 2012 #46
Not only can't they release him, they can't even bury him outside the prison walls jmowreader Apr 2012 #49
Good thang he wasn't jailed in Mississippi Liber-AL Apr 2012 #51

Cirque du So-What

(25,947 posts)
4. I believe the public's best interest is served
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 04:19 PM
Apr 2012

by keeping Manson in prison. I also believe his pathology is beyond any attempt at rehabilitation.

Response to alp227 (Original post)

 

virgogal

(10,178 posts)
6. The Laura Bush comparison is ridiculous, and Manson was convicted
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 04:45 PM
Apr 2012

of killing a guy named Shea,a caretaker at the ranch.

BadtotheboneBob

(413 posts)
17. That pretty much covers it for me...
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 07:19 PM
Apr 2012

... although, I'd include despicable, too, just for added emphasis...

raouldukelives

(5,178 posts)
52. Well I don't disagree with your assessment.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 11:45 PM
Apr 2012

And I know I'm way out of bounds and alone in this but I've just felt for a long time now the Bush family has been responsible for more pain, suffering and death than the Manson family.

Response to raouldukelives (Reply #5)

Douglas Carpenter

(20,226 posts)
11. when he was very small - his mother once sold him for a pitcher of beer
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 05:24 PM
Apr 2012
"Mom was in a café one afternoon with me on her lap. The waitress, a would-be mother without a child of her own, jokingly told my Mom she'd buy me from her. Mom replied, 'A pitcher of beer and he's yours.' The waitress set up the beer, Mom stuck around long enough to finish it off and left the place without me. Several days later my uncle had to search the town for the waitress and take me home."

John Gilmore in his insightful book called The Garbage People describes how Charlie adapted to this life of emptiness and violence:

He kept to himself. Though friendless, his young mind bypassed the loneliness of his surroundings. He watched, listened, pretended his imaginative resources knew no limit. And he began to steal, as if to hold onto something that continually flew away. There was a consistency and permanency to the habit of stealing and it became easier. With everything transient, the thefts and goods he carried with him offered a sense of stability, a kind of reward. An object owned gave identity to an owner, an identity that had yet to be acknowledged.

Charles Manson at 14 When he was nine, he was caught stealing and sent to reform school and then later when he was twelve, he was caught stealing again and sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1947. He ran away less than a year later and tried to return to his mother who didn't want him. Living entirely by stealing and burglary, he lived on his own until he was caught. The court arranged for him to go to Father Flanagan's Boys Town.


Charles Manson at 14


http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/manson/14.html

nolabear

(41,987 posts)
15. The most accurate description for Manson is "incredibly damaged".
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 06:14 PM
Apr 2012

He was damaged to the edge of being human. I make no excuses for him, and I wouldn't parole himfor a million bucks, but I feel real sadness for that child. That child was broken.

polly7

(20,582 posts)
37. Yes, incredibly damaged is the perfect description, they destroyed what was good in the soul of a
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:52 AM
Apr 2012

little boy. It makes me sad too ....... then I think of how the people they murdered suffered, and I think he's where he needs to be also. I believe he knows he has never had a hope of getting parole, and rightly so.

Douglas Carpenter

(20,226 posts)
18. Fortunately very few even severely abused children become violent sociopaths
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 07:20 PM
Apr 2012

If most did we would have probably have at least hundreds of thousands of more of them. But the odds are increased significantly - especially when a child learns at a very early age that they are not wanted or cared for.

 

crunch60

(1,412 posts)
13. Manson himself said he would not attend the hearing. Probably his last, because I read somewhere
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 05:52 PM
Apr 2012

his next parole hearing won't be for another 15 years.

 

crunch60

(1,412 posts)
14. I do wonder what Charlie's life would have been like, if he had a loving family around him. Must be
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 06:01 PM
Apr 2012

terrible to feel that unloved or unwanted. This is not to say I excuse his crimes in any way.

Archae

(46,337 posts)
19. Manson doesn't want to be paroled.
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 07:23 PM
Apr 2012

He knows damn well if he steps outside prison walls someone is going to blow his head off.

 

-..__...

(7,776 posts)
21. What am I missing here?
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 07:59 PM
Apr 2012
his death sentence was changed in 1977 to life in prison with the possibility of parole.


Unless there's some ambiguity in the law (or regardless of sentence... a hearing is till required), then what's the purpose of even having a parole hearing?
 

alcibiades_mystery

(36,437 posts)
35. WITH the possibility of parole
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:17 AM
Apr 2012

Not WITHOUT the possibility of parole.

Read your own citation more carefully.

3waygeek

(2,034 posts)
22. If this had happened a year earlier, and he'd been released...
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 08:34 PM
Apr 2012

ol' Charlie would probably be the Republican nominee by now.

Jack Rabbit

(45,984 posts)
23. He'll do what he always does
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 08:42 PM
Apr 2012

Put out a statement saying the parole board really would have to be nuts to release him and then be a no-show at his hearing.

Perhaps some time before the next scheduled hearing Father Time will intervene.

chelsea0011

(10,115 posts)
24. What good could this sociopath bring to society by releasing him?
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 09:16 PM
Apr 2012

Can you imagine having Charles Manson staying in a halfway house in any neighborhood?

Parole board, "So Charles, what would you do if you were granted parole"?
Charles, (incoherent mumbling for 30 minutes".
Parole board, "DENIED".

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
26. At the same time, what harm could he do?
Fri Apr 6, 2012, 11:30 PM
Apr 2012

I wouldn't care if he lived next door to me. What do we gain by having him in prison? Let him use his own money to pay for his housing and healthcare. I really don't think anything is being accomplished by having him locked up.

 

-..__...

(7,776 posts)
28. "I wouldn't care if he lived next door to me"
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 12:09 AM
Apr 2012

Sure... why not.

"Hey Charlie... I'm throwing a BBQ next week end... come on by if you're free".

"Chuck, me and the wife will be out of town this weekend.

" I don't want to inconvenience you... but would you mind keeping an eye out for our kids"?

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
48. I didn't say that.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 07:58 PM
Apr 2012

I'm sure he'd be pretty closely watched if paroled, and maybe even have an ankle bracelet or something. In either case, I'm not afraid of the guy killing me or anyone else. Seriously, the house next door to me is vacant, and I could give a shit if he lived there.

Seedersandleechers

(3,044 posts)
29. "I taught a parrot to say mother-fucker"
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 12:39 AM
Apr 2012

When asked in a prison interview what was the worst thing he ever did - that was his reply.

 

Ken Burch

(50,254 posts)
32. If he gets paroled...will Charlie audition for the Monkees again?
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 01:31 AM
Apr 2012

Now that Davy's gone...they do have a vacancy.

Botany

(70,518 posts)
33. Well Mitt is looking for a Veep candidate to balance the ticket
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 09:56 AM
Apr 2012


No Charlie you will never step foot outside of prison again

NoGOPZone

(2,971 posts)
36. he'd never get parole even if he took the hearings
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:35 AM
Apr 2012

seriously, which he doesn't seem to do, either using them as a forum to ramble on about unrelated matters or skipping them entirely.

Hepburn

(21,054 posts)
38. Jeeeeeeeeeez, let the sucker die in Jail.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 12:07 PM
Apr 2012

He's nearly 80 years old. WTF is he gonna do on the outside?

David__77

(23,423 posts)
41. That is exactly a reason to release someone, not keep them in prison.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 01:43 PM
Apr 2012

If he won't "do anything" on the outside, then why keep him in prison?

Hepburn

(21,054 posts)
54. By "do", I did not mean cause some sort of harm.
Sun Apr 8, 2012, 09:41 AM
Apr 2012

A release from prison means probation or parole and there are requirements involved. At his age, I doubt if he could "do" anything that would allow him to live any sort or type of a regular life. I am guessing that his refusal to attend his parol hearings is an indication that he is aware that he most like would not be successful on the outside. He would have no protection from those who saw him as a curiosity or those who sought revenge or those who wished to exploit him. Anywhere he lived, most likely a side show would result and neighbors who most likely not wish to have him there to begin with and once the publicity, he most likely would not be welcomed at all.

Like I said, let him die in prison.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
56. The story is that when he was young and being released
Sun Apr 8, 2012, 10:09 AM
Apr 2012

from prison he told the authorities that they should not release him. He knows he belongs in jail.

David__77

(23,423 posts)
40. So, did he actually kill anyone?
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 01:42 PM
Apr 2012

What exactly is he legitimately convicted of? At a minimum, if the thought is that he's a danger to society due to "insanity," then he can be paroled to some sort of facility other than a prison. This would not be so much to rehabilitate the person, but as a measure of humanity.

Lydia Leftcoast

(48,217 posts)
42. Inciting other people to kill is a crime, too
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 02:20 PM
Apr 2012

There was a case in Minnesota when I was a teenager in which a prominent attorney hired someone to hire someone to kill his wife and make it look like a home invasion. All three were found guilty of murder.

 

Liber-AL

(71 posts)
50. That ain't inciting, it's conspiracy.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:52 PM
Apr 2012

An example of inciting people to kill might be the rants of certain right wing talk show hosts.

 

tabasco

(22,974 posts)
55. Even if Manson was only guilty of conspiracy,
Sun Apr 8, 2012, 10:00 AM
Apr 2012

the sentence for conspiracy is the same as the crime conspired.

But Manson was convicted of seven counts of first degree murder.

chelsea0011

(10,115 posts)
45. Oh, please. He hogtied the LaBianca family and ordered his pathetic group to slaughter them
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 06:05 PM
Apr 2012

because he didn't like the messy job done the night before on the Tate massacre. But he didn't kill anybody.

David__77

(23,423 posts)
47. So it's conspiracy.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 06:32 PM
Apr 2012

Even if he used his own hand, I'm not sure it changes anything, because the question is whether or not he is currently a threat to society if paroled. Under restricted conditions, I don't see a problem.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
57. He's convicted of murder
Sun Apr 8, 2012, 10:11 AM
Apr 2012

And conspiracy to commit murder.

Someone who hires a hit man doesn't literally kill anyone either. But they are still guilty of murder and conspiracy.

Manson didn't have to pay his looney followers to do his bidding.

Read the book written by Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor, "Helter Skelter." It's very interesting.

jmowreader

(50,560 posts)
49. Not only can't they release him, they can't even bury him outside the prison walls
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 08:41 PM
Apr 2012

If they did, within six months the jails in California would be so crowded with misdemeanor public indecency cases, the California State Legislature would have to pass a bill of attainder legalizing the practice of urinating on Charles Manson's grave.

No, Manson is right where he belongs.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Charles Manson, now 77, g...