• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Is it time to parole Leslie Van Houten?

Should Leslie Van Houten be paroled?


  • Total voters
    40

tres borrachos

HoHoHo
DP Veteran
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
104,071
Reaction score
84,041
Location
Biden's 'Murica
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Moderate
CHINO, Calif. — Leslie Van Houten, the youngest of Charles Manson's followers to take part in one of the nation's most notorious killings, is trying again for parole.

The homecoming princess who descended into a life of drugs before joining Manson's cult in the 1960s is scheduled for her 21st hearing before a parole board panel on Thursday at the California Institution for Women in Chino.

Van Houten, 66, has spent more than four decades in prison, completing college degrees and demonstrating exemplary behavior.

She was convicted for her role in the 1969 murders of wealthy grocer Leno La Bianca and his wife Rosemary in their Los Angeles home. The La Biancas were stabbed numerous times and the word "WAR" was carved on his stomach.

Ex-Manson family member seeks parole for 1969 murder

I say emphatically no. I don't care if she isn't a "threat". She sure as **** was a threat to Rosemary La Bianca.
 
CHINO, Calif. — Leslie Van Houten, the youngest of Charles Manson's followers to take part in one of the nation's most notorious killings, is trying again for parole.

The homecoming princess who descended into a life of drugs before joining Manson's cult in the 1960s is scheduled for her 21st hearing before a parole board panel on Thursday at the California Institution for Women in Chino.

Van Houten, 66, has spent more than four decades in prison, completing college degrees and demonstrating exemplary behavior.

She was convicted for her role in the 1969 murders of wealthy grocer Leno La Bianca and his wife Rosemary in their Los Angeles home. The La Biancas were stabbed numerous times and the word "WAR" was carved on his stomach.

Ex-Manson family member seeks parole for 1969 murder

I say emphatically no. I don't care if she isn't a "threat". She sure as **** was a threat to Rosemary La Bianca.

Exactly. Compassion is for some, but not all crimes.
 
CHINO, Calif. — Leslie Van Houten, the youngest of Charles Manson's followers to take part in one of the nation's most notorious killings, is trying again for parole.

The homecoming princess who descended into a life of drugs before joining Manson's cult in the 1960s is scheduled for her 21st hearing before a parole board panel on Thursday at the California Institution for Women in Chino.

Van Houten, 66, has spent more than four decades in prison, completing college degrees and demonstrating exemplary behavior.

She was convicted for her role in the 1969 murders of wealthy grocer Leno La Bianca and his wife Rosemary in their Los Angeles home. The La Biancas were stabbed numerous times and the word "WAR" was carved on his stomach.

Ex-Manson family member seeks parole for 1969 murder

I say emphatically no. I don't care if she isn't a "threat". She sure as **** was a threat to Rosemary La Bianca.

Not executing these scumbags was a mistake. So, letting one out would be even worse.
 
CHINO, Calif. — Leslie Van Houten, the youngest of Charles Manson's followers to take part in one of the nation's most notorious killings, is trying again for parole.

The homecoming princess who descended into a life of drugs before joining Manson's cult in the 1960s is scheduled for her 21st hearing before a parole board panel on Thursday at the California Institution for Women in Chino.

Van Houten, 66, has spent more than four decades in prison, completing college degrees and demonstrating exemplary behavior.

She was convicted for her role in the 1969 murders of wealthy grocer Leno La Bianca and his wife Rosemary in their Los Angeles home. The La Biancas were stabbed numerous times and the word "WAR" was carved on his stomach.

Ex-Manson family member seeks parole for 1969 murder

I say emphatically no. I don't care if she isn't a "threat". She sure as **** was a threat to Rosemary La Bianca.

Yes, if she meets the criteria. If reformation, rehabilitation, and corrective justice really mean anything I think we should be willing to apply it even to our most sensational offenders.
 
She is an old lady for crip sake...I doubt she is a threat to anyone at this point.
 
Id like to see psych evals. Its not hard to understand why she did what she did. Part of the healing process for all is understanding, empathy, unconditional love, and unconditional forgiveness. The question I would have is has she accepted responsibility, learned, healed and forgiven herself.
 
I think she ought to be, but I doubt she will be due to political and popular considerations.
 
They do and 47 years behind bars is one of them.

That's true, but what value do you place on the La Bianca's lives? 40 years? 50 years? 70 years?

I don't know, some crimes to me are too heinous to ever warrant release. Jeffrey Dahmer is one (when he was alive). Timothy McVeigh is another. Jeff MacDonald. Some people, no matter what, don't deserve a second chance at life.

I think she's remorseful - somewhat. But then there's this from her 2013 hearing. It sounds to me like she's making excuses.

At her last hearing in 2013, a parole commissioner told Van Houten she had failed to explain how someone as intelligent and well-bred as she could have committed such cruel and atrocious crimes.

Van Houten told the panel she had been traumatized by her parents' divorce when she was 14, her pregnancy soon after and her mother's insistence she have an abortion.
 
Its a moot point. No one gets paroled in California on murder cases. There hasn't been a single person convicted up murder that has been granted parole in California for many decades.
 
That's true, but what value do you place on the La Bianca's lives? 40 years? 50 years? 70 years?

I don't know, some crimes to me are too heinous to ever warrant release. Jeffrey Dahmer is one (when he was alive). Timothy McVeigh is another. Jeff MacDonald. Some people, no matter what, don't deserve a second chance at life.

I think she's remorseful - somewhat. But then there's this from her 2013 hearing. It sounds to me like she's making excuses.

At her last hearing in 2013, a parole commissioner told Van Houten she had failed to explain how someone as intelligent and well-bred as she could have committed such cruel and atrocious crimes.

Van Houten told the panel she had been traumatized by her parents' divorce when she was 14, her pregnancy soon after and her mother's insistence she have an abortion.

well, i'm of hte opinion that if you intentional kill another persons, you've forfeited your own life ( justice being fair and all)..... so I think it's cool if we let her out of Prison the day after she dies.
 
There are LOTS of cases for which you can receive a "Life" sentence in California. People do get paroled on those types of charges. There hasn't been anyone convicted of Murder paroled in California for decades.

I wonder what the number of paroled who commit murder again are? Not that it matters.
 
I wonder what the number of paroled who commit murder again are? Not that it matters.

What I noticed is that people paroled for rape end up murdering their victims later in life. It's like they learned something: dead woman tell no tale.

As for leslie, I imagine that at 66, her killing days are over. But, I do not believe in freeing cold blooded murderers, regardless how much time they served or how old they are.
 
Looks like she is one step closer to release. Not a good idea in my opinion, but this ship is getting ready to sail.

"(CNN)After 19 denials, Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten is a step closer to being free, after a parole board panel recommended her release, a spokesman for the California department of corrections said Thursday.

The full Board of Parole Hearings will review the decision during the next four months, then could send the case to California Gov. Jerry Brown, according to corrections spokesman Luis Patino.

Brown will have 30 days to decide whether to approve or deny the recommendation."

Leslie Van Houten, Manson Family member, recommended for parole - CNN.com
 
Sure, the state should release her right after it unkills her victims. Oh, it can't do that? Then why should her punishment end? Whether she's a saint now or not is irrelevant: her victims are still dead, and the fact that she is still breathing is leniency enough.
 
Back
Top Bottom