I found a maddening news item in today's San Bernardino Sun news paper (page B5) having to do with one of Charles Manson's followers. This is Leslie Van Houten. Back in 1969 she murdered some nice people (Rosemary and Leno La-Blanca). She received a trial, was convicted and sentenced to die. End of story? No.
In 1972 California's death penalty statute was struck down and all the inmates on death row had their sentences commuted to "Life". Hey, all the anti-death-penalty people (especially the whiny-assed Europeans) will tell you that "life" is as harsh a penalty as ever needs to be handed down. If the criminal is forced to remain behind bars, well then, they are no longer a threat to society.
Enter today's news story. Ms. Van Houten is again up for parole. She's been denied 14 times in the past, but her current lawyers are crying "The parole system is a political system" and demanding that their client be set free.
I don't know about that, but what IS certain is that her "life" sentence, which was supposed to keep her locked-up for the rest of HER LIFE, still holds the very real possibility that she will be released. Free. Able to go out and do as she pleases. Will she murder again? I Don't know (but the attorney's assure us that she's now a good egg. We can trust her, honest. It was all brainwashing by the wicked Charlie Manson. Who, by the way, is also still alive and therefor a possible contender for release.
So when someone tells you that a sentence of "life" is just as much punishment as a sentence of "death" just tell them,
Charles Manson MAY never kill again, but Ted Bundy CAN never murder again.