Cleveland Kidnapper to Get Life, Kills Self

[Broomstick]

CNN is reporting that, in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, the Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro has pled guilty to 937 counts of Doing Really Bad Shit To Other People. He will never get a parole hearing. He will be classified as a sexual offender, which means imprisonment in a special unit away from the general population. His victims have stated they are OK with this, as they didn't particularly want to testify at a trial or be in the public eye.

Life plus 1,000.

It still won't balance the scales, but I can live the notion he will never, ever, be free again.

[Vehrec]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy-but damn, that's a crazy long time. What do they do with that 'thousand years', burry him in the prison?

[Batman]

I think part of the problem is that 'life time' doesn't mean 'life time' in a lot of jurisdictions, it merely means a set number of years, after which the guy is legally free again. And given they went with the (admittedly somewhat ridiculous at first glance) life +1000 verdict I very much suspect merely sentencing him to 937 consecutive life sentences was not legally an option.

[Lord Revan]

I agree with batman here that the "+1000" essentially means "he's not getting out alive ever" even if life sentence is just a long time say for example 50 years, since him living past what ever the life sentence is in the first place is unlike but possible, since when they're a set amount of years they're set to be so that it's likely that even if he survives won't be able to do much after he's freed.

how ever to date there's no record of any human living past 1000 (or 1000+"life") so if you sentence someone to 1000 years in prison (or similar insane amount) it simply means "we keep him inside until he's dead".

[Broomstick]

The additional years, or things like "three consecutive life sentences", are also to insure that even if one or two convictions/charges are later overturned he still won't be getting out due to the rest of the sentence.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Anyone know whats the longest prison sentence ever given?

[General Zod]

Anyone know whats the longest prison sentence ever given?

http://topcultured.com/longest-prison-sentences/

[Agent Fisher]

UPDATE: Castro killed himself in prison. Guess he didn't want to stay locked up. Not as much fun on the other side of the bars.

(CNN) -- Ariel Castro who was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping, raping and holding captive three women was found hanging in his prison cell, authorities said told CNN affiliate WOIO.

Officials found Castro hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, about 9:20 p.m.

He was taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.

Castro was not a part of the general prison population, officials said.

In handing down a sentence last month, Judge Michael Russo told the kidnapper there was no place in the world for his brand of criminal.

Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table.

*Snip rest of article.*

[Kitsune]

Cannot really be broken up about it. . .
Have to wonder if the guards were asleep though

[mr friendly guy]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Lagmonster]

Apparently being isolated and on watch cannot be enough to prevent a man from hanging himself. I suppose when you've a lot of experience building makeshift restraints, you can fashion a noose out of just about anything.

Graceless and cowardly. Suits the bastard.

[tim31]

In other news, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction today announced it had discovered they would save 1.5 million dollars over the next thirty years.

[Patroklos]

Apparently being isolated and on watch cannot be enough to prevent a man from hanging himself. I suppose when you've a lot of experience building makeshift restraints, you can fashion a noose out of just about anything.

Graceless and cowardly. Suits the bastard.

From what I have heard the "on watch" mean he was physically accounted for by sight by a guard every half hour. I guess if you are real quick and good at it as you alluded to thats enough time to get things done.

[Zwinmar]

Who says they didn't allow him to make a rope? Perhaps even encouraged. I would think that a prisoner like that would be on suicide watch but ...

[cosmicalstorm]

Lucky for him he didn't embarrass the US government and could get away with suicide.

[Eternal_Freedom]

What a terrible shame.

On the other hand, cue theory that the guards were involved in 3...2...1...oh wait, Zwinmar got there first.

[Esquire]

Eh. Honestly, I think that even if the guards had permitted/encouraged Castro's suicide they could make a decent case for that being the kind, not to mention the efficient thing to do.

[Zwinmar]

The guards don't have to be directly involved all they have to have is selective blindness: 'oops didn't see that shoe lace there' or 'the new guy forgot to take his belt/shoe laces/whatever.' Things that can legitimately happen. And because the can happen honestly they can happen dishonestly so it is a possibility even if it is a small one.

[Eternal_Freedom]

I fully understand it's entirely possible. I just find it amusing that within less than ten posts the possibility emerged.

Either way, I'll shed no tears.

[Crown]

In other news, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction today announced it had discovered they would save 1.5 million dollars over the next thirty years.

+1 (because we don't have a thumbs up emoticon)

Best outcome all round if you ask me; now his victims have definitive proof that they are stronger than him.

[RogueIce]

Who says they didn't allow him to make a rope? Perhaps even encouraged. I would think that a prisoner like that would be on suicide watch but ...

He was on suicide watch when they first put him in jail, but then they later determined (through whatever means they use to determine these things) that he wasn't a suicide risk so took him off. Guess the prison just went with the jail's classification.

[Lord Revan]

Tbh I'm not supriced that someone who wanted put other people in a position where they had no power, would react badly when himself put into position of no power, that said I'm not gonna shed any tears over this.

[Grumman]

I guess he wanted to make an early start on the "plus one thousand years" part of his sentence.

[Broomstick]

Basically, he couldn't endure for one month what he subjected three other human being to for 10 years. And that's not counting the repeated rapes.

[Tiriol]

Basically, he couldn't endure for one month what he subjected three other human being to for 10 years. And that's not counting the repeated rapes.

As Lord Revan noted above, not something surprising. It is not an uncommon trait in any human - we often subject others to treatment we wouldn't want to endure ourselves. Of course, mostly it's just thoughtlessness and not anywhere near as serious as this. For example, many bullies don't think they are bullies, they're just having a bit of fun and/or don't realize that what they are doing is harmful to the other person. This Cleveland fellow's just on the extreme end of that curve.