Are America's Prisons Supposed to Rehabilitate Folks for Life on the Outside or are we just Locking Them up and Throwing Away the Key?
Over 20 years ago, the area I grew up in and in which I still reside with my family, experienced a tragedy like nothing else. There was an infamous murder case and one of the first well publicized "school shooter" situations our country was just beginning to hear about in the news. I put that in quotes because although he showed up to school with a gun and took his classroom hostage, his true crimes were committed well before he entered his high school with his gun. He murdered his entire family that morning and then picked up his prom date and drove her to school with him, she did not even go to the same school as he did, before he held his class hostage and was later arrested without physically harming anyone within his school.
The reason I bring this up is because this convicted murderer is now facing his first parole board hearing, in fact the hearing was yesterday, March 20, 2019. The two officers that were present for the hearing were unable to come to a conclusion regarding his parole and it was announced that a decision would be made on Monday. I am intrigued and watching this story closely. You may wonder why I care?
In 1994, when this tragedy happened, I was a freshman in high school myself. I did not go to the high school this young man attended, but I had a friend who did and was present the day of the crimes. Looking back on it, I realized that I formed my memories of the event based on the fact that I was worried for my friend, who was a sophomore at the time. I remember vaguely the worry and fear I had and how I just wanted to know that he was alright. He was of course and even though he was at his school and in class on that day, he was not in THE class that was held hostage.
One thing I had completely forgotten about what the fact that the "prom date" whom the convicted man picked up and kidnapped, WAS a student at my high school, which neighbored his high school. I wasn't concerned about that detail at the time, as I didn't know her personally, it completely slipped my mind and I had forgotten all about her involvement in the case. Gosh, I wonder where she is now and how this affected her in the long run???
This morning I looked up the recent news about his hearing and what he said regarding the murders and choices he made all those years ago and it sparked an interesting conversation between my husband and I, which honestly happened way too early in the morning for me to even process fully. The conversation was basically regarding how we view our judicial system and quite specifically how we view a person's time in prison. Basically my husband asked whether or not we view a person's prison sentence as a "lock em up and throw away the key" or a "rehabilitation" and what the expectation is when someone is up for parole and can potentially be released from prison.
Based on Clay Shrout's testimony years ago, he shouldn't be released EVER in a zillion years as he had no real explanation and no remorse whatsoever, which deemed him psychologically incompetent. His psychological state played a part in his sentence all those years ago.
Based on Clay Shrout's testimony at his parole hearing, the officials in charge are taking more time to think about his plea to be released. There are a few reasons why this is. One is that he implicated his mother as a sexual abuser, which is "new" news to the case and he didn't mention it at all back in 1994. There is also no way to prove this because she was killed in the 1994 murders.
Another is that he has had no incidents in prison since 2002, which coincides with, he claims, when he became a Christian.
He also has been commended for helping other inmates with getting their GED and has furthered his own education in carpentry and car repair while doing his time in prison. He says he has a person or people in Tennessee that will support his reentering society upon being granted parole.
OK so the real questions and real conversation my husband and I were having is, was he locked away and not thought about for 20 years or was he expected to be rehabilitated up to this point and safe to release into the rest of society now? The article does mention that at no point has he sought out mental health help and that is probably my one major argument for the fact that they are locking up criminals and "throwing away the key" so to speak. They cannot "force" him to receive mental health help despite that playing a role in his original sentencing? If they cannot make him do this, yet they think it played a major part in his crime, is it up to him to seek out help for this? More importantly, if he did not seek help for this, which HE DID NOT during his time in prison, how are we to believe he is rehabilitated or anywhere near the right mental capacity to be released? Who cares what this man is actually saying about regrets and hating what his life has become? I know I don't. If he had the mental capacity to murder his entire family in cold blood, people he should have had some affinity for in some way, shape or form, how are we supposed to believe that he will have regards for the human life of other people with whom he has no relationship? If he is released, how do we know that he will care enough to not kill the person who cuts him off on the road, the person who doesn't deliver the piece of mail he is expecting that day or the person who short changes him at a convenience store? He doesn't believe in counseling and mental health help? If he doesn't, which is his prerogative, than how can anyone in THEIR right mind, simply release this man based on the words coming out of his mouth?
Time and time again he has proven that he is unstable, doesn't adhere to the rules of society and doesn't wish to make the necessary changes to actually walk free again. The major difference now, in my opinion, now that he has done 25 years of prison time, is that he giving us excuses. He didn't answer for his crimes back in 1994. He never mentioned the alleged sexual abuse back then, because he didn't think it was necessary to mention. He is mentioning it now. He is also mentioning now that he was under the influence of alcohol and LSD and that may have played a role as well. Oh and his sisters? The reason he killed them was, based on what he is NOW saying, is that it was a mercy killing because he felt they would be better off dead than being forced to live a life in which their parents were murdered and their brother was the murderer.
This is probably the most telling of everything that he has said during his parole. They are excuses. How can someone who is psychologically sound, make decisions that someone is better off dead and then go ahead and handle that for them by taking their life? 25 years later he is still standing by his decision to murder all of them, he has opted out of psychological help because he doesn't believe it works and he doesn't like what his life has become??? Personally, I don't care how he feels. He still lacks remorse, except for the fact that he feels sad about the consequences of his choices from years ago. I am glad he claims to be a Christian and I hope God will work through him for the rest of his days and that he can somehow come to peace with his life and how he serves the rest of his time on earth. The fact that he still feels the way he felt all those years ago tells me that he is still mentally unable to participate in a free society and that when given the choice he DID further his education and his curiosity with Christianity and helping others, but without being forced, he did not seek help with his mental health and that to me is reason enough to keep him in his environment no matter what words come out of his mouth. As the old adage goes, "Actions speak louder than words" and his lack of action regarding his own health and mental stability is enough for me to know what this outcome should be. I can only pray that God is with the people who ultimately have to weigh all of this information and decide his next fate in the years to come.
If prison is supposed to work with the goal of rehabilitating those within it's walls, than they have not yet done their job and this one still has alot of work to do. If prison is just supposed to offer rehabilitation, than this prison may have done that and the prisoner opted out of certain portions of that rehab and is not finished and needs more time. God be with all of those who are holding this life in their hands. I am glad that I am not one of them.
Disclaimer: I was going to link some articles to the post but have decided that anyone interested can look up independent news sources in order to fill themselves in and have an unbiased opinion about the happenings in this case. There are plenty of sources out there.
Another is that he has had no incidents in prison since 2002, which coincides with, he claims, when he became a Christian.
He also has been commended for helping other inmates with getting their GED and has furthered his own education in carpentry and car repair while doing his time in prison. He says he has a person or people in Tennessee that will support his reentering society upon being granted parole.
OK so the real questions and real conversation my husband and I were having is, was he locked away and not thought about for 20 years or was he expected to be rehabilitated up to this point and safe to release into the rest of society now? The article does mention that at no point has he sought out mental health help and that is probably my one major argument for the fact that they are locking up criminals and "throwing away the key" so to speak. They cannot "force" him to receive mental health help despite that playing a role in his original sentencing? If they cannot make him do this, yet they think it played a major part in his crime, is it up to him to seek out help for this? More importantly, if he did not seek help for this, which HE DID NOT during his time in prison, how are we to believe he is rehabilitated or anywhere near the right mental capacity to be released? Who cares what this man is actually saying about regrets and hating what his life has become? I know I don't. If he had the mental capacity to murder his entire family in cold blood, people he should have had some affinity for in some way, shape or form, how are we supposed to believe that he will have regards for the human life of other people with whom he has no relationship? If he is released, how do we know that he will care enough to not kill the person who cuts him off on the road, the person who doesn't deliver the piece of mail he is expecting that day or the person who short changes him at a convenience store? He doesn't believe in counseling and mental health help? If he doesn't, which is his prerogative, than how can anyone in THEIR right mind, simply release this man based on the words coming out of his mouth?
Time and time again he has proven that he is unstable, doesn't adhere to the rules of society and doesn't wish to make the necessary changes to actually walk free again. The major difference now, in my opinion, now that he has done 25 years of prison time, is that he giving us excuses. He didn't answer for his crimes back in 1994. He never mentioned the alleged sexual abuse back then, because he didn't think it was necessary to mention. He is mentioning it now. He is also mentioning now that he was under the influence of alcohol and LSD and that may have played a role as well. Oh and his sisters? The reason he killed them was, based on what he is NOW saying, is that it was a mercy killing because he felt they would be better off dead than being forced to live a life in which their parents were murdered and their brother was the murderer.
This is probably the most telling of everything that he has said during his parole. They are excuses. How can someone who is psychologically sound, make decisions that someone is better off dead and then go ahead and handle that for them by taking their life? 25 years later he is still standing by his decision to murder all of them, he has opted out of psychological help because he doesn't believe it works and he doesn't like what his life has become??? Personally, I don't care how he feels. He still lacks remorse, except for the fact that he feels sad about the consequences of his choices from years ago. I am glad he claims to be a Christian and I hope God will work through him for the rest of his days and that he can somehow come to peace with his life and how he serves the rest of his time on earth. The fact that he still feels the way he felt all those years ago tells me that he is still mentally unable to participate in a free society and that when given the choice he DID further his education and his curiosity with Christianity and helping others, but without being forced, he did not seek help with his mental health and that to me is reason enough to keep him in his environment no matter what words come out of his mouth. As the old adage goes, "Actions speak louder than words" and his lack of action regarding his own health and mental stability is enough for me to know what this outcome should be. I can only pray that God is with the people who ultimately have to weigh all of this information and decide his next fate in the years to come.
If prison is supposed to work with the goal of rehabilitating those within it's walls, than they have not yet done their job and this one still has alot of work to do. If prison is just supposed to offer rehabilitation, than this prison may have done that and the prisoner opted out of certain portions of that rehab and is not finished and needs more time. God be with all of those who are holding this life in their hands. I am glad that I am not one of them.
Disclaimer: I was going to link some articles to the post but have decided that anyone interested can look up independent news sources in order to fill themselves in and have an unbiased opinion about the happenings in this case. There are plenty of sources out there.
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