

Murder, love and life after 32 years in prison - timw6n
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/15/ben-gunn-murder-love-life-after-prison

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clarky07
I couldn't help but think about Shawshank as I read this. Once you are in
prison for that long, it's hard to know anything different. 2-5 years is one
thing. 30 years is something completely different. He was in prison twice as
long as he's been out of prison, not to mention he was just a teenager when he
went in. Of course he doesn't know how to react to life on the outside.
Hopefully he is able to adjust eventually without going back to crime.

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revelation
How did a 14 year old get life in prison? Is the judicial system in the UK
still calibrated around medieval times?

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njharman
Hello captain hyperbole!

In medieval times, depending on who you are and who you killed, the punishment
would be quick to painful death or nothing at all.

Unprovoked, knowingly and intentionally bludgeoning another to death. The only
mitigating circumstance reported in the article was he knew and accepted his
actions as wrong (immediately calling police on himself).

And, as the article mentions, "life" means first chance of parole after 10
years.

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coldtea
> _Hello captain hyperbole!_

14 year old, life in prison. It IS medieval -- in the metaphorical sense of
the word. What you did was a straight-up historical correction on the
"medieval" thing, which was totally uncalled for.

That said, I wouldn't be so smug if I was in the States either. From what I've
read 14 years old (or 15), even get the death penalty in some states.

~~~
jschneier00
re death penalty age in the USA:

 _Roper v. Simmons_ [1] in 2005 raised the minimum age to 18. Before that,
_Stanford v. Kentucky_ [2] in 1989 set it at 16.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roper_v._Simmons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roper_v._Simmons)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_v._Kentucky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_v._Kentucky)

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bsenftner
Read the comments in the article! Ben participates and argues with people -
quite fascinating.

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JoeAltmaier
Guy's nuts. It was all about him - don't make me do this, etc. Locked up
because he wouldn't submit to the simplest rule of society - first outside,
then inside. Sociopath?

