Manson gang member Leslie Van Houten to be paroled. California stopping appeal of her release

The interesting thing for me is the fact that any discussions of the Manson Killings on our site
will be by people who were alive when it played out.
This might give it a viewpoint not found on other Forums.

Most of us remember the News coverage, the Trial, and the Sentences for those involved.

A strange time in our country, 1969, with the idea of a 'Summer of Love' coming to an end.
Fear in the Middle Class of any 'Revolution' was at the forefront.

Is 53 years in prison long enough for the crime?
The orginal Sentence was Death, but California put a ban on this penalty and it became
life in Prison.

Interesting questions surround this ruling.
 
I approve of her release, too. I listened to one of her parole hearings on TV about twenty years ago and she seemed like a reformed person and a very sad woman. She did a horrible crime while she was under the influence of drugs and and the influence of an extremely persuasive cult leader. She was also very young at the time.

Many other murderers have come and gone through the prison system while she served her time. She shouldn't be punished more because her crime was made the subject of books and movies and her victims were famous.
 
Saw some comments on the net and best was The victims don't even have a chance to rehabilitate themselves back to life,

It's a balancing act giving the prisoner incentive to rehabilitate themselves and behave in prison on the other they committed a horrendous crime and need to be punished hopefully giving others incentive not to commit crime.
 
Often wondered if there is a fine line between genius and evil.

Both Manson and Hitler were failed Artists. They were both driven individuals. Could both of their lives have turned out positively if their Art took off?

But Manson was the head of the snake...his followers were the rest of the body. They were drug-fueled and brainwashed by a Cult Leader (as already mentioned above). I understand that 'life in prison' should mean 'life in prison'. But there were mitigating circumstances and people can rehabilitate themselves. No solace to the families of the victims, though.
 
She must be pushing 80 about now. Perhaps her story will be a warning to others who do such horrible things. She basically lost all of her most important years. We certainly see to have an excess of killers wandering around these days. Will they learn ?
 
I don't believe anyone guilty of first degree murder should ever be released, no time should be wasted on parole hearings... My reasons are as much public safety as moral. Studies have shown that paroled murderers are more likely to commit murder again than the general public. No release is the best solution.
Feelslikefar said:
Is 53 years in prison long enough for the crime?
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No, not if she's still alive.
 
A little off topic but I wonder how a person who goes into prison at 20 and comes out at 73 goes about resuming life outside of prison. I would think most family members would be deceased. Financially, would she qualify for government assistance?
 
Nathan said:
Leslie Van Houten is no danger to society.
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How do we know that? Is there any scientific data?

One study found that 66% of released murderers were rearrested for some offense and 0.3% for another murder (How likely is it that murderers will re-offend?). Both rates are higher than for the general public. Released murderers are dangerous people. Until someone does solid research showing that after some age this is no longer true I can't see releasing these people. Even if it was proven I'm not sure I'd agree with release.
 
Feelslikefar said:
Wondering about any book deals she will get after her release.
Could be a vast amount, guess we will have to wait and see.

Her victims will still be dead, their families robbed of a relationship with them.
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Good question, if she does get a book deal hopefully she will not get any money. Not sure who it should go to, but some kind of restitution would be best. Roman Polanski is still around, probably some other more deserving relatives too.

Even better she never gets out and never writes that book...
 
I believe there is no point in further incarceration if she has met the requirements and satisfied the parole board. Obviously…there is no “justice” here. But then our system is never quite able to meet that standard. She…and those others involved should of had swift equal punishment to what they made their victims suffer. But now years later any possible comparison to what is fair is lost.
 
I don't think we need to worry about her writing a book, she seems subdued to the point of depression in her interviews. As for the finances of her victim's families, I don't know about all of them, but I did happen to read about one of them the other day in a book about the billionaires who live in the 740 Park Avenue, New York apartment building. One is a relative of the Folger heiress who the Manson family killed. Her condo cost 88 million. She'll be alright.

The average prison time served by murderers is 17.5 years. Van Houten has served 53 years, had no previous offenses and has been a model prisoner. She has realistic parole plans, support from family, she is elderly and she is a woman -- all reasons to expect she'll be one of 34 percent who don't re-offend.
 
I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this.

For me it’s a deeper question than just should this woman be released. See, no matter the drug or Manson influence, I just can’t wrap my wits around the taking of a life for the reasons she did.

Can I see myself killing someone? Yes, to protect my loved ones I would kill, absolutely. I would never get over it, but I would do it.

But to kill in cold blood? It’s inconceivable to me. But she did that, and a person capable of doing that? I just can’t imagine the kind of a person they must be, at their very core.

The murders were horrific, the murderers cocky and insouciant after arrest. But It’s been a long time and she’s old now, so whatever her makeup that allowed her to do this horrific act, the fact of her advanced age alone will make it a lot less likely that she will re-offend because she’s just not physically capable like she once was.

So yeah, I just don’t know.
 
jalou65 said:
A little off topic but I wonder how a person who goes into prison at 20 and comes out at 73 goes about resuming life outside of prison. I would think most family members would be deceased. Financially, would she qualify for government assistance?
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Trust me, there are a LOT of "prisoner help agencies " out there, who get Government money for just this sort of situation. Some people make a "life long career " of being "prisoner advocates ". JimB.
 
Della said:
The average prison time served by murderers is 17.5 years
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Too low, in my opinion, certainly for first degree. I looked it up and believe I found the source for this number. It doesn't appear to me to separate first degree murderers from second degree... https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/tssp18.pdf
Ronni said:
For me it’s a deeper question than just should this woman be released. See, no matter the drug or Manson influence, I just can’t wrap my wits around the taking of a life for the reasons she did.
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A good thing, most of us can't.
 


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