This is the question I'm asking after reading this article: "
Rapist, now quadriplegic, a threat, court rules". It is about the case of convicted rapist Steven Martinez, who's serving a sentence of 157 years to life. In March 1998, Martinez drove into two women at a San Diego nightclub, took one of them to a secluded area, and raped her. Then,
In February 2001, while at a prison in Imperial County, Martinez was stabbed in the neck by another inmate, cutting his spinal cord. He is diabetic and incontinent, has trouble breathing and will need 24-hour care for life, according to medical testimony quoted by the court. Martinez sued for release in 2008 after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill he had previously vetoed that extended the state's "compassionate release" program from terminally ill prisoners to those who have become permanently incapacitated, are eligible for parole and pose no public danger.
The warden at Corcoran State Prison, where Martinez is now held, recommended his release, but the state prison director and the parole board disagreed, saying Martinez should be punished for his crimes and had behaved poorly in prison. The appeals court majority upheld the board's decision, overruling a Sacramento judge who had ordered the inmate's release.
The Third District Court of Appeal ruled against releasing Martinez because Martinez verbally threatened prison nurses, and the court thought that Martinez is a violent person who'll never show remorse and might even incite others to commit violent crimes. The court also cited a 1987 case in which a man in a wheelchair reportedly shot his bride. The man attached a string to his mouth and used the string to fire a pistol at said bride.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
