The shame of Geoghan's life & death

The Daily News ^ | 8/26/03 | Richard Cohen

[M 91 u2 K]

I have no idea if John Geoghan, defrocked priest, child molester and, now, murder victim, appreciated irony - especially in the last moments of his hideous and tormented life. But as he was being strangled in prison, beaten and stomped on, it might have occurred to him that just as surely as he abused the trust others had placed in him, the Massachusetts prison system had abused the trust its citizens had placed in it.

Excerpted

[M 91 u2 K]

The conditions of our prisons are no joke and with our new international justices and courts following international law anyone of us could end up in jail for a politically incorrect action.

[steve8714]

If there ever was a candidate for the general population it was Geoghan.
His case has been taken to a higher court, where the judge is real lenient but the sentences are Hell.

[xJones]

The conditions of our prisons are no joke

True. Everyone has known for years that prison rape goes on constantly, for instance, but nothing is done to change things. In this Geoghan murder, he and his killer were in a supposedly protective part of the prison. Aside from all comments about Geoghan and HIS victims, crimes in prison against the weaker prisoners are rampant. Any small-framed 18 year-old going into prison - for even a minor offense - is a prime candidate for rape by the larger inmates. Violent acts go on all the time. The violent are locked away from society, but they terrorize the ones they can get ahold of.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

... the Massachusetts prison system had abused the trust its citizens had placed in it...

Not so sure. The people of Ma know that the only slim chance for real justice for dirt like Geoghan is prison yard justice.

He should have been burned at the stake.

[verity]

Richard Cohen is a liberal dirt bag!

[Arthur McGowan]

Everyone has known for years that prison rape goes on constantly, for instance, but nothing is done to change things.

If you want to know why, just read the posts that always appear on threads dealing with a rape or murder in prison. Vile scum crawl out from the shower drain and post comments congratulating the rapists and murderers for doing "justice" and giving the victims "what they deserved." When there is an execution, the same or similar scum invariably post comments expressing the hope that the executed man in in Hell.

There are already several pro-rape posts on this thread.

[M 91 u2 K]

Its sad how people here are pro-prison torture. I just hope they never end up in prison. As I said before with a million new laws on the book each year anyone of us can end up in prison including many people on this board who smile on prison rape. If they are in prison or even a county jail for one day that might change their mind, but lets hope that never happens to anyone.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

If you equate the betrayal and rape and torture of over a hundred innocent children, with political incorrectness, you are sick.

Geoghan should have been sentenced to a horrible death for his crimes. But the massachusetts Gay/NAMBLA lobby would insure that monsters such as he get leniency.

Too effing bad that some psycho had a different idea.

The monster deserved even worse than he got.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

...There are already several pro-rape posts on this thread...

There are not. There are a couple "got the death he deserved" posts, for the simple reason that he deserved as much or worse than he got.

[Little Ray]

I like the Japanese system. The convict is stuck in a small cell by himself most of the day with only his crimes and sentences posted on the wall. No exercise; no socializing. Only short periods outside the cell to eat, do personal hygeiene, etc, under strict supervision. I think they must stagger the periods to keep the groups down to a manageable size. Any attempt to make trouble gets the convict a serious beating... again, and again, and... The guards are not going to forget you're a trouble maker.
I suppose Japs are different from Americans, but it sounds like it would work over here.
'Course the ACLU would call it cruel and unusual punishment...

[M 91 u2 K]

If you equate the betrayal and rape and torture of over a hundred innocent children, with political incorrectness, you are sick

I personally believe rape, and child molestation should be capital offenses. Unfortunately our liberal judges find that to be unconstitutional.Geoghan deserved death, but not by the hands of criminals. When criminals are required to hand out justice something is wrong with the system. DO you not Agree???

[FITZ]

There are a couple "got the death he deserved" posts,

Plus I never once saw anyone saying the slender 18 year old pot head should be raped and tortured in prison, but it's certainly hard to feel sorry for someone who rapes and tortures young children when they get the same fate. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you ----- a lesson Geoghan learned late in his life.

[Viva Le Dissention]

I personally believe rape, and child molestation should be capital offenses.

And thank God it's not--things happen like the other day, when that fellow was finally released from prison after 17 years after being wrongly convicted of rape. Now, that's 17 years of his life he'll never get back, but at least he gets something back. He wouldn't have if he'd have been dead, and we probably never would have known he was innocent.

The fact is, and what people seem to lose sight of, is that no matter what these people do, they are still human beings, and they deserve to be treated like human beings. I make no bones about it--I'm anti death penalty in every circumstance, but nobody--and I mean nobody--deserves to die being strangled to death in prison by some neo-nazi. Sad.

[FITZ]

Any small-framed 18 year-old going into prison - for even a minor offense

Even if they put this little guy into the same kind of prison Geoghan was in, do you believe that Geoghan's killer would have done the same thing to him? They should put the bad check writers, embezzlers, pot heads etc into one kind of prison but murderers and rapists belong together in another kind of prison ---- or more should be given the death penalty.

[Viva Le Dissention]

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Now, do you really think Jesus would be saying that this man needs to raped in prison because of what he did? I seriously doubt it, especially given the light of the rest of that sermon.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Nothing, I mean nothing, was too harsh for Geoghan.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

...When criminals are required to hand out justice something is wrong with the system. DO you not Agree???..

Yes.