qwerty
10-09-2007, 02:13 AM
What is a life sentence? The meaning of life
Chances of release dismal
By JULIA REYNOLDS
Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 10/08/2007 05:18:36 PM PDT
It was 1979. No one could figure out why a Fort Ord soldier from a good family would agree to murder another soldier's wife — not even the killer himself. But 19-year-old Mark Watts was offered a hundred and fifty bucks and a set of tires to do the job.
Twenty-eight years later, Mark Watts is still in prison. That's despite years of being a model inmate with an excellent psychiatric report.
"It says I have less violence potential than that of someone on the streets," Watts says, speaking between warnings that his call is being recorded and monitored by prison staff. "Everything's been clear for 20 years, I've had no kind of problems."
He's had no disciplinary write-ups since 1987.
Like the vast majority of California's life inmates, Watts' chance of being paroled appears dismal. Less than 1 percent of lifers with a possibility of parole ever actually receive it. That's a big change from 30 years ago, and criminologists say the shift comes from parole boards appointed by governors who increasingly want to appear tough on crime. And when boards do approve parole, governors often veto it.
Read the full story: http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_7116287
Chances of release dismal
By JULIA REYNOLDS
Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 10/08/2007 05:18:36 PM PDT
It was 1979. No one could figure out why a Fort Ord soldier from a good family would agree to murder another soldier's wife — not even the killer himself. But 19-year-old Mark Watts was offered a hundred and fifty bucks and a set of tires to do the job.
Twenty-eight years later, Mark Watts is still in prison. That's despite years of being a model inmate with an excellent psychiatric report.
"It says I have less violence potential than that of someone on the streets," Watts says, speaking between warnings that his call is being recorded and monitored by prison staff. "Everything's been clear for 20 years, I've had no kind of problems."
He's had no disciplinary write-ups since 1987.
Like the vast majority of California's life inmates, Watts' chance of being paroled appears dismal. Less than 1 percent of lifers with a possibility of parole ever actually receive it. That's a big change from 30 years ago, and criminologists say the shift comes from parole boards appointed by governors who increasingly want to appear tough on crime. And when boards do approve parole, governors often veto it.
Read the full story: http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_7116287