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In reply to the discussion: Oregon Supreme Court to consider: Is it 'cruel and unusual' to imprison public masturbator for life? [View all]Xithras
(16,191 posts)Yes, I know he's a rapist who doesn't deserve sympathy, but the difference between a principle and a talking point is your willingness to apply it in a tough situation.
The guy has committed heinous crimes. That's awful, but he served his time for them and was released.
This sentence was for public exposure or masturbation. He wasn't being tried for child rape, or for burglary, or for kidnapping, or for any of the other things he may have done before. He was tried for playing with his dick on a jogging trail. That crime doesn't qualify him for life in prison.
If you want to have a debate about whether child rapists should be let out of prison in the first place, I'm willing to have it, but as someone who was the victim of a violent predator as a child, you can imagine which side I'll be on. Irregardless of my feelings on child predators, however, I keep coming back to one basic truth: He was sentenced to prison for his offense, served his time, and was released. The life sentence for masturbation is basically the application of a second punishment for the first crime. I just can't bring myself to go along with that, no matter how much the guy disgusts me.