Should the Manson Family murders be released?

[NovaKart]

As far as I know there are still 3 members of the Manson family in prison. Susan Atkins has died. Leslie Van Houten, Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel are still in prison. Do you think they should be released? Are they still a danger to society? Do they deserve to stay in prison for what they did? They have been up for parole many times but are always denied it. They've spent almost their entire adult life behind bars.

edit- sorry I should have put murderers in the title, not murders.

 

[BvBPL]

Regarding Van Houten and Krenwinkle, I’d say yes, but it totally depends on information to which we do not have access. Are they reformed? Do they regret their involvement?

A stricter standard should be applied to Tex Watson simply because he was much more involved in the murders.

 

[Ajidica]

I dunno. Let the Warden and Parole Committee decide that.

 

[Formaldehyde]

You can use "go advanced" to change the title of the thread.

I really don't know enough about their current status to even think about rendering a judgement. But there may very well be mitigating circumstances such as these:

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/mansondefendants.html

n prison at the California Institution for Women , Van Houten accepted responsibility for her crime: "Being a follower does not excuse." She earned a degree from a correspondence school (with a major in English Lit), edited the prison paper, sewed for the homeless, and wrote short stories. Although no one could find fault with her prison record, she was again denied parole in 2002. Van Houten's life in prison is described in a recent book by Karlene Faith, The Long Prison Journey of Leslie Van Houten (2001).

At the California Institution for Women in Frontero, Krenwinkel has been a model prisoner. She has, with Leslie Van Houten, counseled young drug offenders, completed a course in data processing, and played on the prison softball team. She has expressed deep remorse for her role in the killings. In a 1994 interview broadcast on ABC, Krenwinkel said, "I wake up every day and know that I'm a destroyer of life, and living with that is the most difficult thing of all. That's what I deserve--to wake up every morning and know that."

Watson, who now resides at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, has renounced Manson and expressed "deepest remorse" to his "many victims." In 1975, Watson became a born-again Christian and, in 1983, an ordained minister. He married a Norwegian wife and has three children. In 1978 he co-wrote a book, Will You Die For Me?

It certainly makes me wonder if they are being held for political reasons instead of legitimate ones.

 

[MobBoss]

As far as I know there are still 3 members of the Manson family in prison. Susan Atkins has died. Leslie Van Houten, Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel are still in prison. Do you think they should be released? Are they still a danger to society? Do they deserve to stay in prison for what they did? They have been up for parole many times but are always denied it. They've spent almost their entire adult life behind bars.

edit- sorry I should have put murderers in the title, not murders.

You left out Manson himself.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Others:

Steve "Clem" Grogan got out in 1986 in exchange for revealing the location of a body.

Sandra Good was released and runs a website devoted to Manson.

Linda Kasabian was given immunity, but later committed other crimes, so went to prison anyways.

Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme released in 2009.

Bruce Davis got out in 2010.

Bobby Beausoleil is still in prison.

Manson of course still in prison.

It certainly makes me wonder if they are being held for political reasons instead of legitimate ones.

Some of what they say and do they may only be saying or doing in an attempt to get paroled, and will be completely different when released. Or they may really mean it, you or I do not know that, nobody knows except them. If it was political, why did any of them get out?