Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

themarshallproject.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 200 posts

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#161

Post by downandout »

joncp wrote: post #120
downandout wrote: post #98

The worst part of this, IMO, is how the mistake was discovered. His former prosecutor was looking up his old cases on the state DOC's website, apparently to delight in the damage he had caused decades earlier. You would have to be a pretty depraved person to derive pleasure from unjustly taking away someone's life.

I thought that too until the article implied later that they were looking for other clerical errors as a result of a really bad mixup.

The state was auditing some cases, but according to the article his didn't come up for an audit. This was just the DA reflecting on his handiwork.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#162

Post by fixxer »

seanflyon wrote: post #157
fixxer wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You debase a medium of exchange upon which our society is built.

So, extracting value that doesn't belong to you, causing financial harm, but not physical harm. Sounds a lot like theft. If you walk into a bank with phony checks and walk out with money that isn't yours, how is that worse than walking in with a gun or sneaking in at night?

Sure, but theft is a subset of the crime in this case. Counterfeiting is a form of theft that literally destabilizes a regime. As jessaustin pointed out far more eloquently, my view is not novel. The fact that we have an organization within our government (the Secret Service) with a primary mandate of "defending the currency" should be enough for you to connect the dots and realize the counterfeiting is more than theft in the context of a nation.

* Steal a radio, you're stealing from a person.

* Run a Ponzi scheme, you're stealing from a group of people.

* Counterfeit a nation's currency, you are stealing from the people of that country.

So, to answer your question: Sure, counterfeiting is just theft.

And Hitler was just a killer.

Scale matters.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#163

Post by fixxer »

jakejake wrote: post #154
fixxer wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, the children! What about the children? What does it matter? He robbed a bank! Someone died! He chose to break his contract with society. If I did that, I would expect zero considerations be made for my two kids. It is my responsibility to never put them in such a position.

Yea, but it's not really about pity for "the poor children." It's about making sure those children do not grow up to commit more crimes against you or me. It's selfish preservation on our part.

Suppose he didn't go to prison for kidnapping and murder. He's still going to prison for bank robbery and those imaginary kids are going to grow up without a daddy regardless.

Your argument is moot.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#164

Post by fixxer »

nknighthb wrote: post #146
fixxer wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are criticizing a negative feedback loop while simultaneously endorsing policies that would create equally detrimental feedback loops. What is true justice?

Whatever justice is, it cannot be the vengeful, racist, wealth-centered system we have now. Nor can it possibly be found in the the mind of anyone prone to uttering the phrase "fuck this guy". Whatever justice is, it cannot be forfeiting our own empathy and humanity.

I agree with you to an extent. Where was the robber's empathy and humanity when he decided to commit a violent crime?

I'm sticking with "fuck this guy".

If you really want to bear a cross, I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#165

Post by nknighthb »

fixxer wrote: post #164
nknighthb wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever justice is, it cannot be the vengeful, racist, wealth-centered system we have now. Nor can it possibly be found in the the mind of anyone prone to uttering the phrase "fuck this guy". Whatever justice is, it cannot be forfeiting our own empathy and humanity.

I agree with you to an extent. Where was the robber's empathy and humanity when he decided to commit a violent crime? I'm sticking with "fuck this guy". If you really want to bear a cross, I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice.

> Where was the robber's empathy and humanity when he decided to commit a violent crime?

Where was ours when we drove him to that crime?

> I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice.

Unlike some people, I don't feel it is morally appropriate to pick and choose who gets justice.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#166

Post by sologoub »

mschuster91 wrote: post #4

Talk about cruel punishments, locking up someone for two fucking robberies without any deaths for nearly a century is unreasonable, cruel and defies everything our civilization stands for. But hey, private prison operators need to make money and police/DA/any part of the justice system profits from being "tough on crime"... Thank God I'm German, even if you end up killing someone you'll at most get 15 years (okay, th…

That's another extreme to me... 15 years for taking a life seems extremely low. With the ever extending life expectancy, this is not even half of persons productive years. Murder is an exceptional crime and deserves exceptional punishment.

The lives of the victim and those around the victim are forever altered, yet under German laws, the life of the murderer can go back on track and conviction be effectively hidden...

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#167

Post by refurb »

caf wrote: post #160
refurb wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately the law frowns upon the death of anyone, regardless if they willingly did something to encourage it.

That is not entirely true. People may put in "Do not resuscitate" elections, people can be left behind to die on mountain climbing expeditions, people can be beaten to death in a boxing ring.

Sure, there are exceptions, but I guess my point is that although people may voluntarily enter into an agreement, the law limits contracts where a person may be injured or kill.

In other words, you and I could agree that if you don't pay me the $1000 I loaned you, I can break your legs, but I'll still get charged with assault if I do it.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#168

Post by fixxer »

nknighthb wrote: post #165
fixxer wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you to an extent. Where was the robber's empathy and humanity when he decided to commit a violent crime? I'm sticking with "fuck this guy". If you really want to bear a cross, I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice.

> Where was the robber's empathy and humanity when he decided to commit a violent crime? Where was ours when we drove him to that crime? > I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice. Unlike some people, I don't feel it is morally appropriate to pick and choose who gets justice.

I am responsible for my actions. I own my mistakes rather than blame society. Lots of people come from nothing and don't resort to crime. Your view is one of the worst types of liberal elitism and I honestly am repulsed by it.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#169

Post by nknighthb »

fixxer wrote: post #168
nknighthb wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Where was the robber's empathy and humanity when he decided to commit a violent crime? Where was ours when we drove him to that crime? > I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice. Unlike some people, I don't feel it is morally appropriate to pick and choose who gets justice.

I am responsible for my actions. I own my mistakes rather than blame society. Lots of people come from nothing and don't resort to crime. Your view is one of the worst types of liberal elitism and I honestly am repulsed by it.

Your view is one of the worst types of conservative inhumanity and I honestly am repulsed by it.

Re: A man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early

#170

Post by Dylan16807 »

zaroth wrote: post #116
Dylan16807 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When felony murder kills a bystander through recklessness, that makes sense. Felony suicide should not count as felony murder by the partners. He got himself killed.

Now when a cop shoots you while you are trying to rob a bank, it's suicide? This seems like a perfect example of felony murder.

>Now when a cop shoots you while you are trying to rob a bank, it's suicide?

The euphemism is "suicide by cop", yeah.

>This seems like a perfect example of felony murder.

When the deceased was committing a felony themselves, why can't they take 100% of their own felony murder charge? We don't need multiple people to face full consequences for a single act.

Post reply on HN