Now comes to play the mentally impaired question, I myself find it hard to believe that an individual who is honestly mentally impaired can commoit a murder and then his attorney claimed the individual is not in his right mind. How about crime of passions, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, then everyone who tries the system can use the mental impairment. In John Gustov class we discussed the Major Hasam case at Fort Hood Texas, save the Taxpayers money he knew exactly what he was doing, taken soldiers lives just because he didn't wany to be deployed.
If, back in 1989, the judge rejected the mentally impairment defense, what happened between 1989 to recent dates that made someone think "well, he's mentally impaired, we can't sentence him to death!"
If you can kill someone, don't you really think that there is some degree of mental impairment to begin with?
This case just goes to show that there are some problems with the criminal justice system today. If he did know that the sentence was changed he could of hung himself because with a death sentence, he would get out of there sooner than if he would stay for life. Mentally ill patients and criminals still have to stay locked up from society for the rest of his life which would be a lot longer than if he was to be put to death. If he did not know of the change of sentencing, then he could of just had enough of being locked up plus they never released his family information. Life in jail or a mental institution without any family to come visit you could make for a very long lifetime!
This is a sad story. Maybe the reason he had killed himself is because he felt it was his way to finally be clensed of the crime he commited. Even though he was aquitted of all his crimes he still felt that justice was owed. Or also it could be because he was really mentally retarded and just felt that his life needed to be taken. Or maybe he was so tired of being in jail that long and once his death penalty was revoked then he did not want to stay in jail any longer.
Not sure what to think of this story. Whether he knew the sentencing had changed doesn't really matter. He probably just wanted to end his life due to the fact that he had already served such a long sentence. He was 70 yrs old and either way he was stuck, sentenced to death or life in prison. Maybe he did know the charge was changed to life and decided he just couldn't handle it anymore.
I understand that mental evaluations have changed since 1989 and is the reasoning for the new law introduced in 2002. Just don't know if I agree with reevaluating a criminal that has already been sentenced.
In 1989 judge primarily did not allow the defense of mental incompetence... this could be the result of several different occurrences. It is quite possible that the man was primarily mentally impaired, but the assessments used during the time of the first murder trial were not equivalent to the standards used currently by the criminal justice system. It is also quite possible that the man was not initially mentally impaired but then after spending such a long time in prison he was slowly driven to it. But in address a few of the previous comments... how is hard to believe that a mentally impaired person committed murder?? This is something that takes place quite often. There are different levels of mental impairment, which means not all considered mentally incompetent are unable to function in society.
It is sad overall that he felt the need to take his own life in the end, that he rather not be breathing than live in a prison facility any longer. There are many different speculations that can be made as to why the man finally decided to end his own life, especially considering the sentence had just been lifted. It is quite possible that he just didn't want to live any longer than he already had. Maybe he realized he was guilty for the horrible act he had committed and didn't disserve to live. Or the that he just did not understand the situation he was in, due to the fact that he was now deemed as mentally impaired. No one knows the real answer... all we know are the facts of the trial and what the article says therefore it is hard to state anything extreme disregarding the cases as well as why the outcome was the man taking his own life.
It is hard to speculate about Smitheys reasons for taking his life since it has not been determined whether he had been told his sentence was lifted. I would think at the age of 70 and living on death row for over 20 years, he decided to go out on his own terms. I would love to know more facts about this story like what was determined to be his IQ? How low below 70 was it? What were the details of his original conviction and how was he found guilty? Was it through true science or just a he said/she said eye-witness? Was he capable of doing that much harm to others if he were mentally retarded? In the end there would have not been much for him to live for. If it were found today that he was truly innocent, he would have never been able to adjust to freedom after being incarcerated for so long. It is sad and we will never know his personal reasons.
I believe the standards for mental impairment have changed in the last 20 years. However I am curious as to why the judge did not allow the the information in the original trial? If I am remembering correctly death row inmates are kept in salutary confinement 24/7 so who is to say that his mental status did not deteriate in the 20 years of solitude. We will never know what went through his mind, if he knew his sentance was commuted or what. He might have just had enough, however my issue is that at the time of his conviction Smithey was deamed mentally fit, yet now he was not mentally fit to die, what changed?
Atkins v. Virginia, 2002 is the U.S. Supreme Court case which set the new precedent on punishment for the retarded. However, the court acknowledged there is no firm definition on mental retardation. Even in the Atkins case there was dispute as to the offender’s true IQ. Some put his IQ at 59 while others put his IQ at a normal range. Justice Scalia gave a strong dissent in the Atkins case (in the case of Atkins I firmly agree with Scalia). The crime was horrific, premeditated, and I have serious doubts about the claim of retardation. I do not know the details of the Smithey case so I don’t know if he committed suicide because he found out he was retarded or because of guilt… I don’t think that freedom to choose and rights come without culpability.
The majority who have commented on this story have focused on the issue surrounding what constitutes mental retardation and whether Smithey's sentence should have been commuted from a death sentence because of this. Instead, I have decided to focus on whether commuting the sentence was right taking into account the mental state Smithey had built up since the 1989 case. A potential reason for his suicide may have come from the acceptance of death that he had probably built up in the years from his sentencing. With his sentence being overturned, and instead being given life imprisonment, I'm sure there were some psychological factors caused by the commuting of his sentence that contributed to his suicide. Whether the sentence should have been overturned or not, it is clear that this man had accepted death and obviously felt it to be inevitable (with the commuted sentence doing nothing to change that). If any similar cases are to be reviewed, it must be made sure that the inmate is mentally examined thoroughly so to gain perspective on where their mental state lies in relation to their orginal sentence. Otherwise, it is likely other suicides will occur due to their acceptance of the death sentence they were given.
This man clearly wanted to get the death penalty. I guess it is unsure if he knew that his sentence was lifted, but I am assuming he did. Either that or he was planning on committing suicide regardless, to die sooner than later. Usually when inmates get life in prison they end up some how committing suicide. Spending the rest of their life in a cage can be pretty depressing, and maybe they feel like if they were to die they could be free. Being mental is something that a lot of inmates claim as well, but so they do not get the death penalty. They do not want to die; they want to go to a mental institution instead of prison. However, this still is like a cage regardless of how you look at it. The prisons have the inmates tested, so they usually do not get away with the claim if it is not true. I can not imagine spending the rest of my life behind bars, and if I was sentenced to death I would want to hurry and die. Waiting and waiting for the day to come would make me go crazy! So I can see why taking his sentence away could provoke him to killing himself because after all that waiting, it was taken away.
I would like to have a better understanding about the whole classification process and how it works correctly in the criminal justice system and how it relates to our correctional institutions. It seems that the diagnostic procedure process categorized this inmate wrongly. I understand the severity of the charges against this inmate. However, can mentally ill inmates become assimilated to super-maximum security prisons? I wander if the criminal justice system failed in 1989 to understand the mentally ill. Also I believe the judge, prosecutors, and the defense was at fault for sentencing this mentally ill inmate to San Quentin for death. It was my belief the correction facilities in the criminal justice system provide counselors for inmates who need therapy and help. If the judge has all the authority then his judgment and behavior was deviant. By having this case heard by the States Supreme Court makes it seem as though the criminal justice system was trying to correct an injustice. In this regards the criminal justice system has failed to live up to its standards. I am also confused if the U.S Supreme Court ruling from 2002 ruling was in play why did it take so long for the criminal justice system in California to act.
I believe anyone who commits murder has a "mental illness" because murder is not a "normal" thought process. If this is the case then everyone would be able to use the defense of mental illness. I would think that he just could not endure another day in prison knowing it had been changed to life in prison. Perhaps he was waiting for the day he was put to death and that was taken away from him so he did it himself.
Well the first thing that comes to mind after reading this is why did they not find him mentally retarded at first? The Criminal Justice System really needs to improve when it comes to situations like this one. I just wonder what would make him commit suicide after all this time? I guess no one will ever know what was going through his head but his suicide just goes to show us that there is a lack of supervision in prisons. You would think that especially by him being a death row inmate that the supervision would be strict. When it comes to deciding if a person is mentally ill I think that is not a subject that should be taken litely and the CJ System needs to have a better way of examining those individuals before sentencing them to death row.......
George Smithey’s mental condition might have become worse after his 21 years on death row. I think that his mental condition was still good enough for him to make the decision that 21 years in prison was enough for him and serving the rest of his life was too much and he was ready to die by either their hands or his own to escape life in prison. I wonder if Cheryl Nesler’s family feels cheated because his life wasn’t able to be taken from him, but merely he gave it up?
So the big question is ...What do we consider mentally ill??? Yes, i think that if someone is commiting murders and or rapes something is wrong with them. But really it took them more than 20 years to figure that out.
I feel like he did know about his life in prison deal. & simply couldnt deal with the fact that he would never get out, so he found his way out (one way or another). Being on death row, yes maybe its not the best way out, but atleast he had some hope to get out earlier than life in prison. but it still bothers me to know that our criminal justice system take years, decades to make decisions like these.
Prison is a hardened place and people who are put there can easily be driven in to a life of mental distress. A person with a slight amount of mental health issues would end up in most cases succumbing to even more mental health issues. Whether or not Smithey knew about his sentence being overturned I think that the prison environment and lifestyle got to Smithey as it does a lot of people and he became distraught, not in his mind being able to deal with this lifestyle he decided to end his life by his own hand.
The man wanted to die? George Smithey had his hopes up on the death penalty? I don’t know how much his retardation developed from the late 80’s to the early 2000’s but there must have been something wrong mentally if 1. He murdered, robbed and attempted rape 2. that in the end he took his own life. His defense did inform the court of mental impairment but the judge rejected it. Was there something obvious? I would like to ask some bloggers questions and or add/respond to their post. Britt we know from intro to CJ that not all prisoners receive the proper treatment in regards to medical treatment (Aileen Wuornos), therefore we cannot assume that George Smithey was properly miss diagnosed. Also, Britt consider the factors: attempted rape, murder, and robbery, the state was probably used George Smithey as a statement. We also cannot assume that people care about their life, please consider that since he committed such heinous crimes and was convicted that the value of life to him probably doesn’t mean much and as he spent more time in prison in solitary confinement the value of life probably just lost more value. C Meek, we do not live in a perfect world where everything can be understood and even better than that applied. Some criminals waits an average of 4yrs for appeals, trials, hearings so on and so on. Our criminal justice system is overwhelmed and consequently it has to play catch up with itself. Giovanni Monsanto
After reading the article I find it contradicting to the title written,"Death Row Inmate Kills Self After Sentence Lifted", the article covers primary that mentally retarded individuals are not competent to stand trial and that the death penalty is considered unlawful and cruel to them. To much key information is left out for me to come to a conclusion of guilt on this individual. Just reading and seeing the result I would believe he understand his sentence and found it within himself and he could not live under the sentencing he had received. Is that not a sign of competent to be rationalizing your actions???? I believe so it is. A precedence must be set because to many lawyers and offendants are using the mental retardation clauses to their advantages...There must continually be thorough test and evaluation by Professional Doctors to reveals the status of their conditions.But one matter should not be overlook and that is the victim rights and family rights to true justice to their crimes. Should we overlook them too. I can not and will not if the facts reveal the truth that they are competent.
20 years ago the law was different but the years in jail could have made him more incompetent. With that said, this is an unfortunate story but the man was convicted of murder. The judge reduced his sentence to life in prison with out parole so in either case he wasn’t getting out. This is not a case of the death penalty issue but rather and mans competence. I know that the death penalty can not be placed upon those that are in competent but the man would still have spent the rest of his life in jail. A life was taken and that life can not be forgotten. Is this unfortunate, yes, but nothing is perfect and that goes for the criminal justice system. If he was incompetent, he should have been placed in a mental institution.
It's hard to believe a person with special needs can commit murder, robbery, and rape. I work and help those with special needs and it is just hard to believe. From the looks of it, maybe George Smithey was not mentally retarded and he was wrongfully diagnosed. These people with needs do not really know what they are doing let alone commit suicide. I guess it depends on what degree of illness he is at.
I think that possibly this man, had been in prison for so long, that he was actually at peace with getting the death penalty. After all those years being locked up, and then they tell you that your going to have to stay there longer and not die, I bet all that was going through his head is I would rather die than spend another year or however long in this prison. Even though they said he had a mental condition, I don't think that he killed himself cause he was mentally challenged. If that was the case, he probable would have done that a long time ago. Death penalty for inmates are sometimes considered a good thing for inmates, who knows what kind of things they go through with other inmates.
This story is sad regardless if you are pro-death penalty or against it. An individual took his own life after being locked up for so long. Now I'm not saying he didn't deserve to be incarcerated for that long of a period. I think the system should've looked a long time before his suicide into whether or not he was mentally ill. Throughout his whole sentence he could've actually been getting rehabilitative treatment that's beneficial to everyone instead of sitting in a cell waiting for a death that in the end he would only give himself. I think more emphasis needs to be placed on rehabilitation and treatment rather than just sticking a needle in someone, but hey that's just my opinion.
Well I can't say I wouldn't kill myself either. He was locked up for 20 years before they decided to switch his sentence because he was mentally ill. It doesn't make it better that he was locked up for 20 years waiting for his death. He sat in prison thinking that he had death row, but then it got switched up to a life sentence. He's 70...how much life does he has left? I don't understand why it took them that long so long to try get his sentence reconsidered. I know it was ruled in 2002 that the mentally ill couldn't be executed, but why not reconsider it then? Whether he knew or not, I can't blame him for killing himself after that long time. Probably just couldn't take it anymore. But if he did know, who wouldn't kill themselves after some stuff like that? I know I'd either kill myself or go on some crazy rampage!
I, 100% agree with Leanne’s post! What happened in twenty years that all of a sudden changed his mental capability? I wonder if he knew of the sentence being lifted and if he didn’t, I wonder why he now decided to take his own life. Answers may never be answered on a case like this, although it goes to show that there are some underlining issues with our judicial system. Referring to trivera’s post…I agree… “how is it hard to believe that a mentally impaired person committed murder?” I think everyone at sometime or at some point could be/have been considered mentally incompetent (I am not trying to say that everybody has issues, yet I am saying that not everybody is considered “normal” all the time). I think smurphy89 brought up a good point about Smithey being prepared for the death sentence and then it getting lifted could mess with one’s head. When you are prepared for so long on an event to happen, and then you find out it won’t, could lead one to put the situation in his hands and doing the deed himself. Fair warning….I do not mean for this to come out morbid but--- although I do hate that an individual felt like they had to take their own lives…..it did save the tax payers money. ( I know I am going to hear some major banter for that comment- by the way, I do have a heart, I swear!)
Ok so far everyone is talking about how a mentally handicap man committed suicide while on death row, possible because he knew that the his sentance had been overturned and changed to life in prison. Hello people!!!! he had already spent 21 years on death row, and he was 70 years old!!! It was still a death sentance to him plus no one is sure if he even knew that his sentance had been commuted. Everyone is arguing mental state, what if he just decided to speed up his death sentance because of his advancing years? Maybe he just wanted to die before his body gave out on him and he was unable to truely know what was going on with him.
I basically think he more than likely knew he wasn't getting the death sentence and decided he'd had enough of prison. How healthy physically was he, I know he was 70 but could he have possibly lived 10 or more years? I can't imagine being elderly in prison. So he finds out the state isn't going to kill him so he took care of it himself. Seems a lot easier to die than to serve life with no parole, especially when you're old.
Liz S.... I agree with what Amber said. This case definitely shows that there are problems with the criminal justice system. It’s terrible that the man hung himself after he was lifted from his death row sentence especially when he was mentally challenged and did not understand that his sentence was lifted. I know that even mentally ill prisoners are not an exception to the law. This just seems wrong. Although, I do see Vanessa’s point of view. He probably just wanted to end his life due to his long sentence. The laws for mental evaluations have indeed changed but I fall torn in whether reevaluating a criminal that has already been sentenced is a good idea.
I agree with Cordell I believe he understood his sentence and I don’t think he could deal with it. I believe he wanted the death penalty. This man has spent 21 years in prison on death row. After reading a book for Greg's class about an inmate in prison, I think this man knew exactly what he was doing. Death Row inmates have more restrictions in prison than the other inmates have. I think this man couldn't take living in prison for the rest of his life so he took his own life. There are many lawyers who are using the mental retardation clause to get their clients off the death penalty, when they should be charged for the crime they committed. Their should be continual test and evaluations to determine the status of the individual.
Honestly, I don't know what to say to this. The fact that he was serving such a long sentence may have gotten to him, but I don't see the big deal about a prisoner who murdered, robbed, and attempted to rape someone who ended up committing suicide. Perhaps it's the mentally impaired aspect, but even in that case, can one really say his criminal acts were committed because of that reason. I think he deserved his sentence, and the court can do what they want according to precedent. This man spent such a long time in jail, so maybe he thought he didn't want to spend anymore time there. But then again, this man was mentally impaired, so we don't know what he was thinking in the first place.
To take your own life you have to be going through something pretty bad. Was the sentence being lifted enough to drive him crazy? I think is was a combination of waiting everyday to die knowing that it will only be any day now and then it being taken away and most likely going to be moved from his current location back into general population. Being that old and being on death row is tuff, but being in general population and being that old is even harder especially if he was mentally handicapped. What was the plan for this man? Did that plan on moving him to a special facility or what? That should have been what everyone should have been asking. The article just goes to show that the system is broken and we so desperately need to think a little harder about how we go about fixing it. There are so many problems with the correctional institution and the criminal justice system. Well let me rephrase that. The society has the issue with what and how we get justice.
There are a few questions that need answering when it comes to this article. First off why was this man on death row in the first place. For someone to stand trial for capital murder does the state not have to test his mental capacity? This means that someone either wasn't doing there job, or that someone ignored the facts in an effort to put a man to death, that according to the Supreme Courts 2002 ruling cannot receive the death penalty because of his IQ. Also, was he considered a special class inmate? And was he being treated as such? This also raises an important issue. Programs have been made for those who are leaving prison and returning to society, but has anyone ever thought about those who successfully appeal their death sentence? These people live everyday knowing that one day they are going to be executed. As this story suggests some people need help transitioning from death row.
This guy obviously had mental problems. He went to jail for attempted rape, robbery and the murder of a woman. Maybe this guy was so crazy he wanted the death penalty. this guy had been in jail for decades. my guess would be he was ready to go. after finding out that he was not going to die by the death penalty he probably decided it was best for him to do it him self. committing suicide could be his way of looking for forgiveness. if i was told i was to dumb for the death penalty in the court of law i would probably do what he did. being told your IQ is that low does not help your self esteem.
I guess they should have left him on death row because if the government was not going to take his life he was going to do it. It is amazing how brilliant inmates are, even if they clam he was retarded he was smart enough to create a noose out of bed sheets. I think the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment, have you seen how other places punish their criminals. China for example has public canings, in some Indian cultures they make people lick a hot plate and if your tongue blisters they cut your hand off. A crime is still a crime so he should have been punished just like everyone else, even if he was retarded. That’s the problem with the Criminal Justice System; there are too many loops holes or ways to get out of sentences. So what if the guy was retarded he was not so retarded he could not rob, rape, and murder. So apparently if your retarded you won’t get life, which is dumb in my opinion. I have an Uncle who is not the brightest but I wouldn’t trust him with a weapon. But I guess it doesn’t matter anyways he killed himself so I guess it all worked out, this time.
During his sentencing phase there is no doubt in my mind that this person was mentally capable to with stand trial. I do think that after being locked up in prison your mind will slowly start to deteriorate. It is possible that the inmate had accepted his fate, and had become mentally ill when he took his own life.
There are many variables to consider why this individual would take his own life. I think plain and simply because he had been in prison for so many years already. He was found to be mentally impaired but this could mean he had a low I.Q. May also be that back in the original trial, his mental impairment was not considered a factor in determining his sentence. Normally inmates with substantial mental impairments are sentenced to state hospitals as it is not adequate to place a special needs individual with the general prison population.
I find it very sad that the only thing keeping this man going was knowing he was going to be put to death. But when it was taken away I am sure his suffering seemed to become worse not knowing when it would all end. Much like everyone else said I'd really like to know if his mental state was altered in those 20 years of solitary. I also like what Lily said about if his mental state was taken into consideration at sentencing he could have ended up in a place that was there to make him better. We can only try to learn from this issue and take it into consideration with similar cases.
I agree on how this is sad how the inmate had to take his own life since He was already in jail for so long that he just could not handle it anymore. When the judge gave him the sentence of life without parole in august that was probably the final straw for him. He probably thought that the death sentence or even killing himself was the only way out of jail. I feel as though if the man was claimed to be mentally impaired then I also feel as though he should of been transferred to get mental help. I don't feel as though that gave him any excuse foe what he did by any means but that gives him at least an explanation on why he did think to do it. I think that with the changing on his sentence going back and forth to the death penalty then to life without parole did not help the situation
What a sad ending to a tragic story. At 70 years old, and had already spent several years in prison, was the prisoner just unable to deal with the reality that he was not going to be executed, (if he did actually know)? I guess we we never really know now! After a while I image you might just be tired of the ups and downs of the legal system. If this inmate was declared mentally impaired why wasn't he confined to a state hospital instead of death row? There could be many questions as to why he committed suicide, but as I stated earlier, I guess we will never know what was going on in his mind!
I think that it is very sad that this man killed himself. This is just the type of mentality that people develop while incarcerated. When the judge gave him life without parole he knew that there was no chance of him getting out. This man had been in prison for so long that prison is all that he knew. He probably did not know how to handle life outside of prison. He also probably believed that it would be harder because he has already had that label placed on him, and knew he might not be able to survive.
ok so I am sure this has been said over and over in this post but I have to say it anyways, if you can commit a crime such as murder, not due to protection of yourself or loved ones, then there has to be some degree of mental impairment to begin with. however this does not mean that is any reason for them not to be punished for the crime that they have committed. his sentence was life without parole, this was his only way out was to kill himself since the state decided they werent going to do it, was the inmate told he was no longer going to be executed? or hwad he figured it out on his own and took matters into his own hands. still it is a very tragdic that this had to happen like this. he was over 70 years old and had been there for along time, maybe he just couldn't cope anymore, i guess we will never know why.
Can you really blame the person? I'm not condoning suicide, but if you had thought for years that this is when my time is coming, you know when your time is up, wouldn't you be a psychological mess if it changed at the last second? I think this would be a fascinating psychological study to dive further into.
When an individual is put in prison, they are robbed of any control over themselves or the world around them. Lifestyle is both tortuous and highly regimented into cyclical dehumanizing routines. The deafening roar of voices, the violence, the disease, the menacing bars and fences are enough for even the most stalwart hearts and minds to lose balance and become lost in the mire of inmate self-destruction. Faced with the truth that he would be released back into society without any routine or any familiarity, George Smithy could not come to terms with the fact that his prison reality would come to an end. The product of perversion, Smithy had become highly institutionalized to the point where he needed prison to ensure his own survival.
The article does not say whether or not he knew if his sentence was converted to life, so one cannot make the leap that he killed himself because of it. The real problem is the length of time he spent on death row and probably without mental health treatment. I may be likely that like Tookie Williams talks about in his book, that he just went crazy and killed himself due to the conditions of prison life. Maybe he could not take another 20+ years there. Punishment should be swifter than it currently is.
I wonder if this man feared being released into society after so long. If you think about it, this poor man, whether innocent or guilty, had adapted to the life of prison and most likely feared the outside world because it would be incredibly difficult for him to assimilate into a "normal society". Someone who has been abused or an animal that has been caged for so long becomes accustom to a certain lifestyle even if it is not normal and uncomfortable. This story is truly tragic in every sense of the word.
This is clearly an example of the inmate committing anomic suicide. He had lived his life confined and was subjected to a lot of social regulation. He was able to deal with the lack of social integration and excessive regulation that he faced daily while on death row. When the judged lifted the death sentence the inmate experienced too little social regulation which lead to his suicide.
To further explicate how crime is relative to its society, this decision that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to execute a mentally retarded man illustrates the constant and frequent changes to the degree of acceptable punishment that is applied in society. I question the reason to why this decision was only recently made, as the man has aged in jail to the age of 70. Any mental retardation in joint with the mental deterioration due to aging is likely to be the cause of this event as it is unclear if the man knew that his sentence was lifted, possibly being a strange coincidence.
This is a very sad case. This man was probably just afraid of being released into society. He probably had nothing out here for him, a family, a job, or any support system. After being in prison for so long he probably didn’t know any other form of life, other than prison life.
Now comes to play the mentally impaired question, I myself find it hard to believe that an individual who is honestly mentally impaired can commoit a murder and then his attorney claimed the individual is not in his right mind. How about crime of passions, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, then everyone who tries the system can use the mental impairment. In John Gustov class we discussed the Major Hasam case at Fort Hood Texas, save the Taxpayers money he knew exactly what he was doing, taken soldiers lives just because he didn't wany to be deployed.
ReplyDeleteIf, back in 1989, the judge rejected the mentally impairment defense, what happened between 1989 to recent dates that made someone think "well, he's mentally impaired, we can't sentence him to death!"
ReplyDeleteIf you can kill someone, don't you really think that there is some degree of mental impairment to begin with?
This case just goes to show that there are some problems with the criminal justice system today. If he did know that the sentence was changed he could of hung himself because with a death sentence, he would get out of there sooner than if he would stay for life. Mentally ill patients and criminals still have to stay locked up from society for the rest of his life which would be a lot longer than if he was to be put to death. If he did not know of the change of sentencing, then he could of just had enough of being locked up plus they never released his family information. Life in jail or a mental institution without any family to come visit you could make for a very long lifetime!
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad story. Maybe the reason he had killed himself is because he felt it was his way to finally be clensed of the crime he commited. Even though he was aquitted of all his crimes he still felt that justice was owed. Or also it could be because he was really mentally retarded and just felt that his life needed to be taken. Or maybe he was so tired of being in jail that long and once his death penalty was revoked then he did not want to stay in jail any longer.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what to think of this story. Whether he knew the sentencing had changed doesn't really matter. He probably just wanted to end his life due to the fact that he had already served such a long sentence. He was 70 yrs old and either way he was stuck, sentenced to death or life in prison. Maybe he did know the charge was changed to life and decided he just couldn't handle it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI understand that mental evaluations have changed since 1989 and is the reasoning for the new law introduced in 2002. Just don't know if I agree with reevaluating a criminal that has already been sentenced.
In 1989 judge primarily did not allow the defense of mental incompetence... this could be the result of several different occurrences. It is quite possible that the man was primarily mentally impaired, but the assessments used during the time of the first murder trial were not equivalent to the standards used currently by the criminal justice system. It is also quite possible that the man was not initially mentally impaired but then after spending such a long time in prison he was slowly driven to it.
ReplyDeleteBut in address a few of the previous comments... how is hard to believe that a mentally impaired person committed murder?? This is something that takes place quite often. There are different levels of mental impairment, which means not all considered mentally incompetent are unable to function in society.
It is sad overall that he felt the need to take his own life in the end, that he rather not be breathing than live in a prison facility any longer. There are many different speculations that can be made as to why the man finally decided to end his own life, especially considering the sentence had just been lifted. It is quite possible that he just didn't want to live any longer than he already had. Maybe he realized he was guilty for the horrible act he had committed and didn't disserve to live. Or the that he just did not understand the situation he was in, due to the fact that he was now deemed as mentally impaired. No one knows the real answer... all we know are the facts of the trial and what the article says therefore it is hard to state anything extreme disregarding the cases as well as why the outcome was the man taking his own life.
It is hard to speculate about Smitheys reasons for taking his life since it has not been determined whether he had been told his sentence was lifted. I would think at the age of 70 and living on death row for over 20 years, he decided to go out on his own terms. I would love to know more facts about this story like what was determined to be his IQ? How low below 70 was it? What were the details of his original conviction and how was he found guilty? Was it through true science or just a he said/she said eye-witness? Was he capable of doing that much harm to others if he were mentally retarded? In the end there would have not been much for him to live for. If it were found today that he was truly innocent, he would have never been able to adjust to freedom after being incarcerated for so long. It is sad and we will never know his personal reasons.
ReplyDeleteI believe the standards for mental impairment have changed in the last 20 years. However I am curious as to why the judge did not allow the the information in the original trial? If I am remembering correctly death row inmates are kept in salutary confinement 24/7 so who is to say that his mental status did not deteriate in the 20 years of solitude. We will never know what went through his mind, if he knew his sentance was commuted or what. He might have just had enough, however my issue is that at the time of his conviction Smithey was deamed mentally fit, yet now he was not mentally fit to die, what changed?
ReplyDeleteAtkins v. Virginia, 2002 is the U.S. Supreme Court case which set the new precedent on punishment for the retarded. However, the court acknowledged there is no firm definition on mental retardation. Even in the Atkins case there was dispute as to the offender’s true IQ. Some put his IQ at 59 while others put his IQ at a normal range. Justice Scalia gave a strong dissent in the Atkins case (in the case of Atkins I firmly agree with Scalia). The crime was horrific, premeditated, and I have serious doubts about the claim of retardation. I do not know the details of the Smithey case so I don’t know if he committed suicide because he found out he was retarded or because of guilt… I don’t think that freedom to choose and rights come without culpability.
ReplyDeleteThe majority who have commented on this story have focused on the issue surrounding what constitutes mental retardation and whether Smithey's sentence should have been commuted from a death sentence because of this. Instead, I have decided to focus on whether commuting the sentence was right taking into account the mental state Smithey had built up since the 1989 case. A potential reason for his suicide may have come from the acceptance of death that he had probably built up in the years from his sentencing. With his sentence being overturned, and instead being given life imprisonment, I'm sure there were some psychological factors caused by the commuting of his sentence that contributed to his suicide. Whether the sentence should have been overturned or not, it is clear that this man had accepted death and obviously felt it to be inevitable (with the commuted sentence doing nothing to change that). If any similar cases are to be reviewed, it must be made sure that the inmate is mentally examined thoroughly so to gain perspective on where their mental state lies in relation to their orginal sentence. Otherwise, it is likely other suicides will occur due to their acceptance of the death sentence they were given.
ReplyDeleteThis man clearly wanted to get the death penalty. I guess it is unsure if he knew that his sentence was lifted, but I am assuming he did. Either that or he was planning on committing suicide regardless, to die sooner than later. Usually when inmates get life in prison they end up some how committing suicide. Spending the rest of their life in a cage can be pretty depressing, and maybe they feel like if they were to die they could be free. Being mental is something that a lot of inmates claim as well, but so they do not get the death penalty. They do not want to die; they want to go to a mental institution instead of prison. However, this still is like a cage regardless of how you look at it. The prisons have the inmates tested, so they usually do not get away with the claim if it is not true. I can not imagine spending the rest of my life behind bars, and if I was sentenced to death I would want to hurry and die. Waiting and waiting for the day to come would make me go crazy! So I can see why taking his sentence away could provoke him to killing himself because after all that waiting, it was taken away.
ReplyDeleteI would like to have a better understanding about the whole classification process and how it works correctly in the criminal justice system and how it relates to our correctional institutions. It seems that the diagnostic procedure process categorized this inmate wrongly. I understand the severity of the charges against this inmate. However, can mentally ill inmates become assimilated to super-maximum security prisons? I wander if the criminal justice system failed in 1989 to understand the mentally ill. Also I believe the judge, prosecutors, and the defense was at fault for sentencing this mentally ill inmate to San Quentin for death. It was my belief the correction facilities in the criminal justice system provide counselors for inmates who need therapy and help. If the judge has all the authority then his judgment and behavior was deviant. By having this case heard by the States Supreme Court makes it seem as though the criminal justice system was trying to correct an injustice. In this regards the criminal justice system has failed to live up to its standards. I am also confused if the U.S Supreme Court ruling from 2002 ruling was in play why did it take so long for the criminal justice system in California to act.
ReplyDeleteI believe anyone who commits murder has a "mental illness" because murder is not a "normal" thought process. If this is the case then everyone would be able to use the defense of mental illness. I would think that he just could not endure another day in prison knowing it had been changed to life in prison. Perhaps he was waiting for the day he was put to death and that was taken away from him so he did it himself.
ReplyDeleteWell the first thing that comes to mind after reading this is why did they not find him mentally retarded at first? The Criminal Justice System really needs to improve when it comes to situations like this one. I just wonder what would make him commit suicide after all this time? I guess no one will ever know what was going through his head but his suicide just goes to show us that there is a lack of supervision in prisons. You would think that especially by him being a death row inmate that the supervision would be strict. When it comes to deciding if a person is mentally ill I think that is not a subject that should be taken litely and the CJ System needs to have a better way of examining those individuals before sentencing them to death row.......
ReplyDeleteGeorge Smithey’s mental condition might have become worse after his 21 years on death row. I think that his mental condition was still good enough for him to make the decision that 21 years in prison was enough for him and serving the rest of his life was too much and he was ready to die by either their hands or his own to escape life in prison. I wonder if Cheryl Nesler’s family feels cheated because his life wasn’t able to be taken from him, but merely he gave it up?
ReplyDeleteSo the big question is ...What do we consider mentally ill??? Yes, i think that if someone is commiting murders and or rapes something is wrong with them. But really it took them more than 20 years to figure that out.
ReplyDeleteI feel like he did know about his life in prison deal. & simply couldnt deal with the fact that he would never get out, so he found his way out (one way or another). Being on death row, yes maybe its not the best way out, but atleast he had some hope to get out earlier than life in prison. but it still bothers me to know that our criminal justice system take years, decades to make decisions like these.
Prison is a hardened place and people who are put there can easily be driven in to a life of mental distress. A person with a slight amount of mental health issues would end up in most cases succumbing to even more mental health issues. Whether or not Smithey knew about his sentence being overturned I think that the prison environment and lifestyle got to Smithey as it does a lot of people and he became distraught, not in his mind being able to deal with this lifestyle he decided to end his life by his own hand.
ReplyDeleteThe man wanted to die? George Smithey had his hopes up on the death penalty? I don’t know how much his retardation developed from the late 80’s to the early 2000’s but there must have been something wrong mentally if 1. He murdered, robbed and attempted rape 2. that in the end he took his own life. His defense did inform the court of mental impairment but the judge rejected it. Was there something obvious? I would like to ask some bloggers questions and or add/respond to their post. Britt we know from intro to CJ that not all prisoners receive the proper treatment in regards to medical treatment (Aileen Wuornos), therefore we cannot assume that George Smithey was properly miss diagnosed. Also, Britt consider the factors: attempted rape, murder, and robbery, the state was probably used George Smithey as a statement. We also cannot assume that people care about their life, please consider that since he committed such heinous crimes and was convicted that the value of life to him probably doesn’t mean much and as he spent more time in prison in solitary confinement the value of life probably just lost more value. C Meek, we do not live in a perfect world where everything can be understood and even better than that applied. Some criminals waits an average of 4yrs for appeals, trials, hearings so on and so on. Our criminal justice system is overwhelmed and consequently it has to play catch up with itself. Giovanni Monsanto
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article I find it contradicting to the title written,"Death Row Inmate Kills Self After Sentence Lifted", the article covers primary that mentally retarded individuals are not competent to stand trial and that the death penalty is considered unlawful and cruel to them. To much key information is left out for me to come to a conclusion of guilt on this individual. Just reading and seeing the result I would believe he understand his sentence and found it within himself and he could not live under the sentencing he had received. Is that not a sign of competent to be rationalizing your actions???? I believe so it is. A precedence must be set because to many lawyers and offendants are using the mental retardation clauses to their advantages...There must continually be thorough test and evaluation by Professional Doctors to reveals the status of their conditions.But one matter should not be overlook and that is the victim rights and family rights to true justice to their crimes. Should we overlook them too. I can not and will not if the facts reveal the truth that they are competent.
ReplyDelete20 years ago the law was different but the years in jail could have made him more incompetent. With that said, this is an unfortunate story but the man was convicted of murder. The judge reduced his sentence to life in prison with out parole so in either case he wasn’t getting out. This is not a case of the death penalty issue but rather and mans competence. I know that the death penalty can not be placed upon those that are in competent but the man would still have spent the rest of his life in jail. A life was taken and that life can not be forgotten. Is this unfortunate, yes, but nothing is perfect and that goes for the criminal justice system. If he was incompetent, he should have been placed in a mental institution.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe a person with special needs can commit murder, robbery, and rape. I work and help those with special needs and it is just hard to believe. From the looks of it, maybe George Smithey was not mentally retarded and he was wrongfully diagnosed. These people with needs do not really know what they are doing let alone commit suicide. I guess it depends on what degree of illness he is at.
ReplyDeleteI think that possibly this man, had been in prison for so long, that he was actually at peace with getting the death penalty. After all those years being locked up, and then they tell you that your going to have to stay there longer and not die, I bet all that was going through his head is I would rather die than spend another year or however long in this prison. Even though they said he had a mental condition, I don't think that he killed himself cause he was mentally challenged. If that was the case, he probable would have done that a long time ago. Death penalty for inmates are sometimes considered a good thing for inmates, who knows what kind of things they go through with other inmates.
ReplyDeleteThis story is sad regardless if you are pro-death penalty or against it. An individual took his own life after being locked up for so long. Now I'm not saying he didn't deserve to be incarcerated for that long of a period. I think the system should've looked a long time before his suicide into whether or not he was mentally ill. Throughout his whole sentence he could've actually been getting rehabilitative treatment that's beneficial to everyone instead of sitting in a cell waiting for a death that in the end he would only give himself. I think more emphasis needs to be placed on rehabilitation and treatment rather than just sticking a needle in someone, but hey that's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWell I can't say I wouldn't kill myself either. He was locked up for 20 years before they decided to switch his sentence because he was mentally ill. It doesn't make it better that he was locked up for 20 years waiting for his death. He sat in prison thinking that he had death row, but then it got switched up to a life sentence. He's 70...how much life does he has left? I don't understand why it took them that long so long to try get his sentence reconsidered. I know it was ruled in 2002 that the mentally ill couldn't be executed, but why not reconsider it then? Whether he knew or not, I can't blame him for killing himself after that long time. Probably just couldn't take it anymore. But if he did know, who wouldn't kill themselves after some stuff like that? I know I'd either kill myself or go on some crazy rampage!
ReplyDeleteI, 100% agree with Leanne’s post! What happened in twenty years that all of a sudden changed his mental capability? I wonder if he knew of the sentence being lifted and if he didn’t, I wonder why he now decided to take his own life. Answers may never be answered on a case like this, although it goes to show that there are some underlining issues with our judicial system. Referring to trivera’s post…I agree… “how is it hard to believe that a mentally impaired person committed murder?” I think everyone at sometime or at some point could be/have been considered mentally incompetent (I am not trying to say that everybody has issues, yet I am saying that not everybody is considered “normal” all the time). I think smurphy89 brought up a good point about Smithey being prepared for the death sentence and then it getting lifted could mess with one’s head. When you are prepared for so long on an event to happen, and then you find out it won’t, could lead one to put the situation in his hands and doing the deed himself. Fair warning….I do not mean for this to come out morbid but--- although I do hate that an individual felt like they had to take their own lives…..it did save the tax payers money. ( I know I am going to hear some major banter for that comment- by the way, I do have a heart, I swear!)
ReplyDeleteOk so far everyone is talking about how a mentally handicap man committed suicide while on death row, possible because he knew that the his sentance had been overturned and changed to life in prison. Hello people!!!! he had already spent 21 years on death row, and he was 70 years old!!! It was still a death sentance to him plus no one is sure if he even knew that his sentance had been commuted. Everyone is arguing mental state, what if he just decided to speed up his death sentance because of his advancing years? Maybe he just wanted to die before his body gave out on him and he was unable to truely know what was going on with him.
ReplyDeleteI basically think he more than likely knew he wasn't getting the death sentence and decided he'd had enough of prison. How healthy physically was he, I know he was 70 but could he have possibly lived 10 or more years? I can't imagine being elderly in prison. So he finds out the state isn't going to kill him so he took care of it himself. Seems a lot easier to die than to serve life with no parole, especially when you're old.
ReplyDeleteLiz S....
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Amber said. This case definitely shows that there are problems with the criminal justice system. It’s terrible that the man hung himself after he was lifted from his death row sentence especially when he was mentally challenged and did not understand that his sentence was lifted. I know that even mentally ill prisoners are not an exception to the law. This just seems wrong. Although, I do see Vanessa’s point of view. He probably just wanted to end his life due to his long sentence. The laws for mental evaluations have indeed changed but I fall torn in whether reevaluating a criminal that has already been sentenced is a good idea.
I agree with Cordell I believe he understood his sentence and I don’t think he could deal with it. I believe he wanted the death penalty. This man has spent 21 years in prison on death row. After reading a book for Greg's class about an inmate in prison, I think this man knew exactly what he was doing. Death Row inmates have more restrictions in prison than the other inmates have. I think this man couldn't take living in prison for the rest of his life so he took his own life. There are many lawyers who are using the mental retardation clause to get their clients off the death penalty, when they should be charged for the crime they committed. Their should be continual test and evaluations to determine the status of the individual.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't know what to say to this. The fact that he was serving such a long sentence may have gotten to him, but I don't see the big deal about a prisoner who murdered, robbed, and attempted to rape someone who ended up committing suicide. Perhaps it's the mentally impaired aspect, but even in that case, can one really say his criminal acts were committed because of that reason. I think he deserved his sentence, and the court can do what they want according to precedent. This man spent such a long time in jail, so maybe he thought he didn't want to spend anymore time there. But then again, this man was mentally impaired, so we don't know what he was thinking in the first place.
ReplyDeleteTo take your own life you have to be going through something pretty bad. Was the sentence being lifted enough to drive him crazy? I think is was a combination of waiting everyday to die knowing that it will only be any day now and then it being taken away and most likely going to be moved from his current location back into general population. Being that old and being on death row is tuff, but being in general population and being that old is even harder especially if he was mentally handicapped. What was the plan for this man? Did that plan on moving him to a special facility or what? That should have been what everyone should have been asking. The article just goes to show that the system is broken and we so desperately need to think a little harder about how we go about fixing it. There are so many problems with the correctional institution and the criminal justice system. Well let me rephrase that. The society has the issue with what and how we get justice.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few questions that need answering when it comes to this article. First off why was this man on death row in the first place. For someone to stand trial for capital murder does the state not have to test his mental capacity? This means that someone either wasn't doing there job, or that someone ignored the facts in an effort to put a man to death, that according to the Supreme Courts 2002 ruling cannot receive the death penalty because of his IQ. Also, was he considered a special class inmate? And was he being treated as such? This also raises an important issue. Programs have been made for those who are leaving prison and returning to society, but has anyone ever thought about those who successfully appeal their death sentence? These people live everyday knowing that one day they are going to be executed. As this story suggests some people need help transitioning from death row.
ReplyDeleteThis guy obviously had mental problems. He went to jail for attempted rape, robbery and the murder of a woman. Maybe this guy was so crazy he wanted the death penalty. this guy had been in jail for decades. my guess would be he was ready to go. after finding out that he was not going to die by the death penalty he probably decided it was best for him to do it him self. committing suicide could be his way of looking for forgiveness. if i was told i was to dumb for the death penalty in the court of law i would probably do what he did. being told your IQ is that low does not help your self esteem.
ReplyDeleteI guess they should have left him on death row because if the government was not going to take his life he was going to do it. It is amazing how brilliant inmates are, even if they clam he was retarded he was smart enough to create a noose out of bed sheets. I think the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment, have you seen how other places punish their criminals. China for example has public canings, in some Indian cultures they make people lick a hot plate and if your tongue blisters they cut your hand off. A crime is still a crime so he should have been punished just like everyone else, even if he was retarded. That’s the problem with the Criminal Justice System; there are too many loops holes or ways to get out of sentences. So what if the guy was retarded he was not so retarded he could not rob, rape, and murder. So apparently if your retarded you won’t get life, which is dumb in my opinion. I have an Uncle who is not the brightest but I wouldn’t trust him with a weapon. But I guess it doesn’t matter anyways he killed himself so I guess it all worked out, this time.
ReplyDeleteDuring his sentencing phase there is no doubt in my mind that this person was mentally capable to with stand trial. I do think that after being locked up in prison your mind will slowly start to deteriorate. It is possible that the inmate had accepted his fate, and had become mentally ill when he took his own life.
ReplyDeleteThere are many variables to consider why this individual would take his own life. I think plain and simply because he had been in prison for so many years already. He was found to be mentally impaired but this could mean he had a low I.Q. May also be that back in the original trial, his mental impairment was not considered a factor in determining his sentence. Normally inmates with substantial mental impairments are sentenced to state hospitals as it is not adequate to place a special needs individual with the general prison population.
ReplyDeleteI find it very sad that the only thing keeping this man going was knowing he was going to be put to death. But when it was taken away I am sure his suffering seemed to become worse not knowing when it would all end. Much like everyone else said I'd really like to know if his mental state was altered in those 20 years of solitary. I also like what Lily said about if his mental state was taken into consideration at sentencing he could have ended up in a place that was there to make him better. We can only try to learn from this issue and take it into consideration with similar cases.
ReplyDeleteI agree on how this is sad how the inmate had to take his own life since
ReplyDeleteHe was already in jail for so long that he just could not handle it anymore. When the judge gave him the sentence of life without parole in august that was probably the final straw for him. He probably thought that the death sentence or even killing himself was the only way out of jail. I feel as though if the man was claimed to be mentally impaired then I also feel as though he should of been transferred to get mental help. I don't feel as though that gave him any excuse foe what he did by any means but that gives him at least an explanation on why he did think to do it. I think that with the changing on his sentence going back and forth to the death penalty then to life without parole did not help the situation
What a sad ending to a tragic story. At 70 years old, and had already spent several years in prison, was the prisoner just unable to deal with the reality that he was not going to be executed, (if he did actually know)? I guess we we never really know now! After a while I image you might just be tired of the ups and downs of the legal system. If this inmate was declared mentally impaired why wasn't he confined to a state hospital instead of death row? There could be many questions as to why he committed suicide, but as I stated earlier, I guess we will never know what was going on in his mind!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very sad that this man killed himself. This is just the type of mentality that people develop while incarcerated. When the judge gave him life without parole he knew that there was no chance of him getting out. This man had been in prison for so long that prison is all that he knew. He probably did not know how to handle life outside of prison. He also probably believed that it would be harder because he has already had that label placed on him, and knew he might not be able to survive.
ReplyDeleteok so I am sure this has been said over and over in this post but I have to say it anyways, if you can commit a crime such as murder, not due to protection of yourself or loved ones, then there has to be some degree of mental impairment to begin with. however this does not mean that is any reason for them not to be punished for the crime that they have committed. his sentence was life without parole, this was his only way out was to kill himself since the state decided they werent going to do it, was the inmate told he was no longer going to be executed? or hwad he figured it out on his own and took matters into his own hands. still it is a very tragdic that this had to happen like this. he was over 70 years old and had been there for along time, maybe he just couldn't cope anymore, i guess we will never know why.
ReplyDeleteCan you really blame the person? I'm not condoning suicide, but if you had thought for years that this is when my time is coming, you know when your time is up, wouldn't you be a psychological mess if it changed at the last second? I think this would be a fascinating psychological study to dive further into.
ReplyDeleteWhen an individual is put in prison, they are robbed of any control over themselves or the world around them. Lifestyle is both tortuous and highly regimented into cyclical dehumanizing routines. The deafening roar of voices, the violence, the disease, the menacing bars and fences are enough for even the most stalwart hearts and minds to lose balance and become lost in the mire of inmate self-destruction. Faced with the truth that he would be released back into society without any routine or any familiarity, George Smithy could not come to terms with the fact that his prison reality would come to an end. The product of perversion, Smithy had become highly institutionalized to the point where he needed prison to ensure his own survival.
ReplyDeleteThe article does not say whether or not he knew if his sentence was converted to life, so one cannot make the leap that he killed himself because of it. The real problem is the length of time he spent on death row and probably without mental health treatment. I may be likely that like Tookie Williams talks about in his book, that he just went crazy and killed himself due to the conditions of prison life. Maybe he could not take another 20+ years there. Punishment should be swifter than it currently is.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this man feared being released into society after so long. If you think about it, this poor man, whether innocent or guilty, had adapted to the life of prison and most likely feared the outside world because it would be incredibly difficult for him to assimilate into a "normal society". Someone who has been abused or an animal that has been caged for so long becomes accustom to a certain lifestyle even if it is not normal and uncomfortable. This story is truly tragic in every sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteThis is clearly an example of the inmate committing anomic suicide. He had lived his life confined and was subjected to a lot of social regulation. He was able to deal with the lack of social integration and excessive regulation that he faced daily while on death row. When the judged lifted the death sentence the inmate experienced too little social regulation which lead to his suicide.
ReplyDeleteTo further explicate how crime is relative to its society, this decision that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to execute a mentally retarded man illustrates the constant and frequent changes to the degree of acceptable punishment that is applied in society. I question the reason to why this decision was only recently made, as the man has aged in jail to the age of 70. Any mental retardation in joint with the mental deterioration due to aging is likely to be the cause of this event as it is unclear if the man knew that his sentence was lifted, possibly being a strange coincidence.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad case. This man was probably just afraid of being released into society. He probably had nothing out here for him, a family, a job, or any support system. After being in prison for so long he probably didn’t know any other form of life, other than prison life.
ReplyDelete