>>>>http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/justice/death-row-freedom/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>"After smoking marijuana and drinking wine, they went to the home of 78-year-old Bible teacher Ruth Pelke, armed with a knife. Cooper struck Pelke with a vase, cut her arms and legs, then stabbed her in the chest and stomach 33 times, according to Indiana court records."
>>>>
>>>>"Their loot? Just $10."
>>>
>>>Considering she was just 16 at the time of the crime hopefully she can become a productive member of society. I guess if anyone stands a chance of reforming their ways it would be her.
>>
>>Yeah. Maybe she has more mature ways to kill people now.
>>She was obviously disenfranchised.
>>Hopefully her victim has recovered - oh wait - she's dead (apparently shredded quite well).
>
>I view myself not as a chronic do-gooder - having read that her son approves of freeing her goes a long way of me agreeing with freeing her. While court system was in part created as to stop direct revenge, I think those directly affected by the crime (yes, I realize the most directly affected did not agree...) should be given the largest role in deciding if offender goes free early. So unless you have arguments showing the son being in cahoots or incredibly stooopid in other areas as well...

The only way I could find to agree with the bolded above was if we have decided to change the nature of our criminal justice system from one of deterrence to one of vengence. In a system based upon deterrence we are interested in the prevention of future criminal activity both by punishing the convicted for their actions and by doing so in public so as to deter the future criminal actions of others through the knowledge of the punishment that awaits those actions. By removing or lessening the punishment we are similarly removing or lessening the deterrence. The opinion of the victim must be irrelevant for justice to remain blind and for the law to apply equally. Conversely, in a system where justice is served through vengence, the opinion of the victim should be paramount.