Not normal Playground subject.

[Native Alien]

click here

I posted this over on the General Board as well. I would like to hear opinions and discussions.

 

[~*sunkyssed_kym*~]

That is outrageous! I can't believe that our penial system provides internet access to those who have willingly committed murder; while we have childern whose parent(s) cannot afford to supply a PC and web service. I'm usually not one to get on this sort of soap box, but this seems wrong to me. We have families who work hard trying to provide for their loved ones and many don't have anything left after paying bills to give their kids a chance to surf the net. But; ruthlessly murder your two children, mislead the public, and you are provided with all sorts of comforts not available to many. Am I missing something here?
Please understand that I don't wish to be incarcerated by any means, but its shocking when those who are get better treatment and live "normally" than those who are law abiding citizens.
Oh my Native................. this is really too much for my knackered brain to deal with. Lol, I think I'm going for hat nap now. See you later.

-kym- scratching my head at the absurdity of our prison system.

 

[Native Alien]

I think that my biggest problem with it is who is monitoring these inmates. I mean if they have internet access, then they likely have email, if they have email, then they have access to ims and chatrooms.

Is this a person that you would want one of your loved ones ( children especially) talking to? I mean they could spin a web of lies a mile long and noone would know any different.

Plus there is always the identity thief and the what about when they get out deal. Not to mention the pedophiles that could access children this way. Not to mention what they might be able to talk a child into.

I guess I am just am way to overprotective. That and I worry to much.

 

[cookiejar]

NA I posted on the GB, but this is such a crock of bullshit. Susan Smith was no mother, she was a selfish , greedy bitch who took the lives of her own sons. These people shouldn't be afforded privlidges like the internet. I hope she rots there...she deserves a life of hard labor, hopefully in Siberia.

 

[John Roberts]

Whew! that is a rough one.

I feel a sense of rage at the thought of a mother wanting to kill her own sons.......
I also do not believe in being cruel to anyone regardless of their
humanity status......forced solitude is a cruelty in my view, if you put a parrot in a cage and do not intereact with it.....it will go insane for it is a social creature..... I believe most humans are the same even the predatory types like her......
Forced incarceration is also a cruelty and I believe in that for some people should always remain behind bars....... Dang it that makes me a hypocrite because I really think she should stay there.

 

[Native Alien]

Not in my book John, it just makes you human like the rest of us. I know that you posted on the GB cookiejar and thank you.

 

[~*sunkyssed_kym*~]

John, I agree that this is a difficult issue and makes one feel hypocritical in many ways. But......... As Native has pointed out, what if.............. those inmates have access to our children from inside prison, and are able to track them once out? Or as Cookie wrote; she killed her two sons, she lied,she manipulated the entire counrty into believing her sons had been kidnaped. Can she be trusted online? I don't think so. I don't think she has a right to be given the luxury of surfing the net or having contact with anyone outside of prison via the net. Let her post letters if she wants contact!
I'm not a vindictive person, but its my belief this is too much freedom being given to someone who doesn't deserve it. Andf john, I don't think that what you feel makes you a hypocrite. I think it is hypocritical for the prison system to say we're going to punish you if you step outside of the law, and then give luxuries such as internet access to those who do! Now THAT'S and oxymoron in my book!

-kym- Issues such as these really get me angry!

 

[John Roberts]

John, I agree that this is a difficult issue and makes one feel hypocritical in many ways. But......... As Native has pointed out, what if.............. those inmates have access to our children from inside prison, and are able to track them once out? Or as Cookie wrote; she killed her two sons, she lied,she manipulated the entire counrty into believing her sons had been kidnaped. Can she be trusted online? I don't think so. I don't think she has a right to be given the luxury of surfing the net or having contact with anyone outside of prison via the net. Let her post letters if she wants contact!
I'm not a vindictive person, but its my belief this is too much freedom being given to someone who doesn't deserve it. Andf john, I don't think that what you feel makes you a hypocrite. I think it is hypocritical for the prison system to say we're going to punish you if you step outside of the law, and then give luxuries such as internet access to those who do! Now THAT'S and oxymoron in my book!

-kym- Issues such as these really get me angry!

You are quite correct.....predators are predators.....she should not be given the chance to harm anyone else she should be behind bars electronically as well.......

JR

 

[Celtic Princess]

ok, so as some one with a serious Criminal Justice background, I feel I should sound off.
here's my 2 cents worth, though it probably won't be well received....but then again...


As for Susan Smith, she's where she belongs *within the limits of the law that is* she won't be able to have anymore children, and she is incarcerated. if i got to do what i wanted, i would have drowned her like she did her poor kids. that aside, as for the internet access and our kids, the law says it's the parents responsibility to protect them from such predators. they are locked up and not posing an imminent physical danger, and that's all that's required of the justice system. does it suck? well, yeah, but it's the way it is.
unfortunatly, our constitution protects everyone from cruel and unusual punnishment, including inmates. is denying internet access such a punnishment? well, the human rights people say it is. what were they thinking??
Yes, incarceration is often more enjoyable than life in the real world, and people have many opportunities provided for them. i will never understand this, as jail is supposed to be punnishment.
go figure

understanding the reasons behind the madness don't make it any easier to swallow.


basil

 

[redrider4u]

ok, so as some one with a serious Criminal Justice background, I feel I should sound off.
here's my 2 cents worth, though it probably won't be well received....but then again...


As for Susan Smith, she's where she belongs *within the limits of the law that is* she won't be able to have anymore children, and she is incarcerated. if i got to do what i wanted, i would have drowned her like she did her poor kids. that aside, as for the internet access and our kids, the law says it's the parents responsibility to protect them from such predators. they are locked up and not posing an imminent physical danger, and that's all that's required of the justice system. does it suck? well, yeah, but it's the way it is.
unfortunatly, our constitution protects everyone from cruel and unusual punnishment, including inmates. is denying internet access such a punnishment? well, the human rights people say it is. what were they thinking??
Yes, incarceration is often more enjoyable than life in the real world, and people have many opportunities provided for them. i will never understand this, as jail is supposed to be punnishment.
go figure

understanding the reasons behind the madness don't make it any easier to swallow.


basil

In response, I am not sure that in reality incarceration in this country is truly punishment anymore. As you point out, human rights advocates have stretched the interpretation of cruel and unusual punishment. As internet access becomes as universal as tv and telephone, the advocates will insist that it is a punishment to exclude it from prisoners. Think of that the next time your 13 yr old logs on to the net.

Since I am a capital punishment advocate where there is absolute certainty of guilt, I suggest Susan Smith should have been put down simply to remove her from the gene pool. (T-I-C)

 

[Native Alien]

It is evident that it isn't working in either case as a deterent to crime. Cases like this really make me wonder.

 

[waverlysgirl]

IF YOU MEAN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

It is evident that it isn't working in either case as a deterent to crime. Cases like this really make me wonder.

It's not much of a deterrant because it is not carried out in a timely fashion. I am all for the death penalty but I think they should shorten the time for it to be conveyed once the inmate has exhausted all of their appeals--like the day after.

RedRider is correct. Bleeding hearts have twisted the definition of cruel and unusual to the point where prison isn't such an unpleasant experience anymore. Cable TV, internet, gymnasiums, libraries, etc. There is no incentive not to go back once you get out. As for Susan Smith, I hope she suffers every day, remembering what she did to her children.

 

[Native Alien]

Thanks waverlygirl for posting your thoughts and you bring up a good point. One that has been discussed many times about the length and number of appeals that go on.

I am going to stick with my opinion that they should die the same way that their victims did in some cases. The thread on the GB has some unique perspectives about that.

 

[Jenny _S]

Hmmm...

Unfortunatly, our constitution protects everyone from cruel and unusual punnishment, including inmates. is denying internet access such a punnishment? well, the human rights people say it is. what were they thinking??
Yes, incarceration is often more enjoyable than life in the real world, and people have many opportunities provided for them. i will never understand this, as jail is supposed to be punnishment.
go figure

understanding the reasons behind the madness don't make it any easier to swallow.


basil

I see the moral outrage here. Susan Smith: Bitch, murderer, baby killer, etc. And I agree that what Celtic Princess says is true.

What I don't see here is anyone having actually gone to that site see what was posted. I found it to be both and interesting and scary site. First it is a simple message board from which the reader can send ONE email to the prisoner which is then printed and hand delivered to the prisoner within about two weeks. All further communications with the prisoner must be by U.S. Mail service. The ads are placed by the prisoners by mail directed to the website office street address. This does not indicated to me that the prisoners have web access in the way that has been posted here. I did not say they did not have web access, but it is strictly controlled. In fact, there is a bulleten board much like this one on which the prisoners can post personal messages. But, they cannot leave the site. From that stand point I actually found the site to be fairly interesting.

From another stand point I found the site very scary. Yes, these are hardened criminals. Some of the ads actually ask for money and legal assistance. One ad that stuck in my mind in particular went on and on about how this person had learned her lesson and was growing as a person, turning her life around ...etc.... but would be unable to respond quickly because she was currently in solitary confinment for being in a bloody fight with other inmates.

These are sad people. These are truely unhealthy people who belong in prison. I saw people in prison for forgery, check fraud, murder, man slaughter, burglery, robbery and other things. But aren't there even more of those people walking the streets among us?

I think the Susan Smith issue is only a small part of this problem. She is where she belongs. She will continue there for the foreseeable future. But is she a real threat? After having visited the site I doubt it. The real threat is that this is a vehicle for inmates to use to find sponsers for their paroles. And once they get out, then what?

 

[Native Alien]

That is a point that is being made as we speak on the message board over at courttv, Jenny. There is a really hot debate on this very issue that has gone to about 10 pages in less than an hour there.

 

[Woodmiester]

Interesting, and if you don't mind let me fill you in on some of the real truth as one who's seen this life from the other side, working in not being confined to, let's get that straight real fast.

She murdered her own children is no matter how upset and even mad I get at mine the thought of doing this is never there, but putting that aside she killed another, and the laws of this land, the people say that someone that does this shall be punished, and they have been.

Without naming names because it's not important, those that feel people in this case should have treatment, be treated kind, proper? Get a fucking life. Once a person goes to prison, they do change, and rarely it's for the better but imho to fucking bad, they made a choice and by damn let them live with it, and remember in some case their victims can't because their dead, so deal with it.

Let's look at this case though and what it's making the nation aware of, something those of us that are in or were in the work field of making sure others remain behind bars have known for years, they have it to damn easy, plain and simple.

The goodie twoshoes of this nation have screwed us all in dealing with convicts so there isn't any use beating that dead horse except to say that we are the people and we can and should set things right once again.
They do have life to damn easy and one thing I saw at this site that was mentioned is internet access, they have a chatroom set up, simple to use also which makes this next point scary I hope.

Some good points were brought up, but let me add some insight on the thinking of the inmate..

It's called dealing and simply put, they set others up. One of the things that anyone going into prison work is taught is how not to be set up because they, the inmate has nothing else to do so they learn this, and they are damn good at it, and this whole thing is in my opinion just one more way they can reach out and get the things they want.
It's amazing to watch if you have your head out of your ass and can see it for what it is, while they befriend you or another, tell you everything you want to hear, all the time getting you closer and closer till one day they ask for something, be it small or big, they will ask so don't even kid yourself. It's all a game to them and all they have. And with someone such as her, what does she care if she is caught, she's got nothing to lose now does she?

 

[Woodmiester]

speaking of which

http://www.crimelibrary.com/fillicide/smith/

very interesting reading

 

[Bill88]

similar situation here in Connecticut...........20something guy got sent away for rape and murder of a teen he met online in a chat room. Now he is in the can awaiting sentencing and has posted an ad looking for a pen-pal. Don't you think he will make lots of friends in prision?!

 

[Native Alien]

Thanks for the link Woodmeister. Very informative reading.

Hello Bill and thank you for the contribution. Will have to look into that one.

 

[dragonhearted]

A BUMPworthy thread.