Can't stand this attitude re prison attacks

[BySnappyUmberFish]

After the murder of Ian Watkins and the assault and (very possible) death of Ian Huntley, social media and news articles have been flooded with comments such as 'Give that man a medal!!' 'Not all heroes wear capes!!'.
These people seem to forget that the killers are in prison for as equally heinous and despicable crimes as the aforementioned two. They have also most probably not attacked them over what they did, but over debts, drugs or just to gain some notoriety.

I am fed up of hearing comments like this.

They do actually - especially paedophiles who are usually model prisoners and often kept separate from other prisoners due to the risk of violence against them.

In that case, why are so many people against capital punishment? If you're not, fair enough, then that doesn't apply, but the question is really for everyone-and most people on here are generally against it. What is the point of abolishing the death penalty if we don't think prisons should be safe and humane.
Also, some people imprisoned for serious crimes are later found to be innocent. I'm not talking about Huntley, but about those who are innocent, who are also at risk when prisons aren't safe.

I don't think the attackers are heroes or anything of the sort but I am happy that a horrendous criminal is dead. I couldn't give a toss about the safety of prisoners. If every prisoner killed another prisoner there'd be no more prisoners, which would solve the prison overcrowding problem in one fell swoop, then we could start filling up prisons again with more criminals, which would drastically reduce crime.

The onus should be on the right of law-abiding people not to be the victims of crime. Criminal rights should not be a priority at all.

Exactly, it is the beginning of the end of a civilised society which is dangerous for everyone, including staff as you say and the wrongly convicted innocent prisoners like the man recently released after 17 years charged with a vicious attack rape and serious injury after new DNA evidence proved it was someone else.

The only people you should actually feel sorry for is the FOS PO and/or the teacher who actually had to witness that level of violence. They were in a manufacturing workshop when it happened, so they will have had a supervising teacher/instructor (who could be as young as 21 and female). I feel really sorry for the person who had to witness that mess, then write about it and sit in a meeting with the Governor and explain why they (and the floor officer) weren’t able to predict/stop the attack, and go straight back to work the next day in the same place.
That’s who I feel sorry for in this whole mess.

So it’s ok for prisoners to be wandering the landings…..which myself and colleagues are also on…..with improvised weapons looking for a target?? 🤔

think it through maybe?

Quite. No one really gives a toss about Huntley but the impact of this attack extends beyond him.

so every prisoner should be killed by another prisoner - is that really what you’re saying?

You do realise they’re not all violent murderers/rapists/paedophiles? So that’s it - just let them all kill each other? You can’t imagine how that kind of situation of endless violence in prisons would cause a problem?

Do people ever think about what they’re saying?

I disagree. Why does he ‘deserve’ to be safe? He is abhorrent.

If prisoners are safe then so am I…..is that ok? For me to be safe in the workplace?

I find this so naive. What about your son was recruited into county lines, he’d be in prison within years. If your daughter was recruited into a grooming gang. If your husband drove at speed or under the influence and killed someone. If your dad stopped paying his VAT. If your son got drunk and assaulted someone in a bar fight.

would you be fine with them being beaten to death while under the government’s care?

we’re not as far away from being in prison or having a loved one in prison as we think. This othering of prisoners is just a protective way of making yourself believe you are different. When maybe, you’re just privileged or lucky.

Huntley has been taken off of life support:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62d410y4qko

The prisoner that attacked Huntley doesn’t sound too worthy:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/ian-huntley-attack-suspect-named-33499922

Exactly! Can't imagine how they feel hearing being congratulated and the 'give that bloke a medal' comment!!

Totally agree OP. It smacks of complete ignorance of the people saying these ridiculous things. Anthony Russell is a triple murderer and one of the women he killed was pregnant!! He’s no saint himself yet people are calling for him to be released. Ok, would any of those calling for him to be released be willing to take him in, or have him live in their street? No takers…thought not.

What Ian Huntley did was disgraceful and I won’t be sad to see him go but Anthony Russell deserves to be punished, not celebrated.

Obviously the guy who attacked Huntley is also vile (from the little I have read), but I do understand why people make the sort of comments you have referenced in your OP. Ian Huntley is a despicable human being and there are many who think he deserves to be dead. After all, he robbed two little girls of their own lives. Zero sympathy for him.

I am mainly against the death penalty because of the risk of miscarriages of justice. Someone like Huntley deserves to hang for his crimes, frankly.

I have some sympathy for the view that someone who lives by the sword also dies by the sword

If an individual is happy to murder defenceless humans for their own pleasure then they should not be surprised when someone else has no objection to murdering them.

I am not in favour of the death penalty. The state should never sink to those levels, but I have no sympathy for Huntley or his kind. They are no loss. I'll reserve my sorrow for the millions who genuinely deserve it.

I dont believe Ian deserved to be safe in prison one little bit.

Two things can be true at once. The person who attacked him is a horrible rapist and murderer. He's NOT redeemed his crimes, but he's certainly given something back to society last week.

Holly and Jessica deserved to be safe too.

I don't agree with your post.

I'll be accepting if he dies.

The only people who's opinion I would be interested to here, would be the families of those two poor girls.

A large part of why people say these things is because they feel that justice wasn't served, that the punishment didn't fit the crime. It's on our justice system that so many feel that way.

Why? Holly & Jessica weren't safe. Why does Huntley deserve better?

Huntley was the architect of his own situation. He was locked up with people just like himself as a direct result of his own freely chosen actions. I have no sympathy at all.

He’ll be dead today anyway.

So you are fine with prisoners making themselves weapons then roaming on the landings with them?

He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years. No guarantee he’d have got out even then. We don’t have the death penalty. What else do people expect?

people don’t really think that at all. I don’t care about Ian Huntley. He’s where he needed to be for his repugnant crimes and besides that I’ve barely given him a moments thought since he’s been convicted. He’s unimportant.

It’s all just some weird performative nonsense people are engaging in as if wishing worse and worse stuff on him somehow makes them more outraged by what he did than anyone else. It’s very strange behaviour.

How awful, I'm so sorry. I hope he never gets out, but mostly I hope your daughter lives her life in peace and security.

I completely understand your mixed feelings, surely most people would feel the same. I think it's a version of that emotional response that drives some people to congratulate murderers who attack murderers, but they don't continue thinking it through like you do. Which is why we have the veneer at least of a civilised society, which we wouldn't have if mob justice were allowed to go unchecked and we would all suffer.

I wish you and your family all the best x

As I said before, Holly & Jessica deserved to be safe.