I have no sympathy for this guy and he deserves whatever bad things that happen to him.
That being said, the "mainstream" prisoners who attack guys like Shanley shouldn't be considered heroes. They're criminals too.
The good part about our prison system is that child molesters are at the bottom of the prison hierarchy and get what they deserve. The bad part is that the prisoners at the very top of the hierarchy (cop killers) receive great admiration and aren't getting what they deserve.