70 yr old man robs bank to go "home" to prison
By ersmommy1
@ersmommy1 (12588)
United States
September 12, 2008 2:21pm CST
An elderly man robs a bank but admits he didn't do it for the cash. He has spent most of his life in prison starting at age 18. His list of crimes petty theft, armed robbery, theft with a gun. He says he does better in prison. At this point he will plead guilty and spend rest of life in prison. To go back he stole 2 fifty dollar bills. Do you think this is right? Do you think this 'intituational mentality is normal among criminals?
4 people like this
22 responses
@jillbeth (2705)
• United States
12 Sep 08
I saw that story on TV today and thought it was so sad! But I can understand a person who has lived practically his whole life in prison considering that his "home." And I think that mentality is probably pretty common among people who have been institutionalized (whether in jail or elsewhere) for a long time and never learned to live in regular society.
2 people like this
@liltunergirl (467)
• Canada
12 Sep 08
If someone is used to spending their life in jail and then get out as an old man, he won't know what to do with himself or how to act around public. By that age, you sometimes get confused and lots of things are scary to you. That's a normal person of that age. now try imagining how it must be like for someone who is used to seeing grey walls and bars always. He's not used to the culture and the world anymore. It kind of reminds me of the movie Shawshank Redemption. When the old man finally gets released, he ends up killing himself as he doesn't know anything about the outside world and it's scary to him. He would have rather stayed the rest of his life in jail. If this guy has been in and out his whole life then he obviously has a problem and they should never have released him in the first place.
1 person likes this
@MalloryDavis (15)
• United States
13 Sep 08
Well, I agree with you for the most part. But there's one part that you didn't understand. That is...that for certain offenses there are time limits for that particular crime. For the state or the county or federal to keep him in "just because he has an institutionalized mentality is not good enough-according to the CONSTITUTION of the United States-to keep him in prison. The punishment must fit the crime...although that doesn't seem to happen as often as it should.
@liltunergirl (467)
• Canada
15 Sep 08
Hmmm...This is quite interesting. I don't live in the USA but I understand the Constitution and I know you are right, that the punishment fits the crime but I still have to think that if a person is in jail for that many years, how do they expect this person to interact with society when this person knows nothing about society? How is he supposed to do day to day things when he doesn't know how to? I realize that this is what half way houses are for but I don't know what the circumstances have to be to have someone placed in one. I'm not saying that people should stay in jail constantly as it's the tax payers who are paying to keep these people fed and given shelter but for someone like that, who know's no different, won't be able to live in a normal society, maybe a transition stage needs to be put into place. Maybe when they know someone is of no threat anymore and they are due to be released soon, to let them out of the gates for a few hours every day and told to do certain tasks. Then come back to the jail for dinner and night. They can even track them if they really aren't certain by using an anklet. I don't know, I just feel for these people who don't know how to live in normal society and they just open the doors after 50 years and say "go live a normal life."
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
12 Sep 08
He has spent most of his life in prison starting at age 18
Thats a long time..its no wonder he wants to go back..
Do you think this 'intituational mentality is normal among criminals
Yes actually it is...My bf is a parolee who's spent a great deal of time in prison and he's seen this happen with some of his old cellies etc ya know...and with this man, he's been in and out since 18 yrs old and is now 70?! thats a damn long time...so I'm not the least bit surprised...Some men and women CAN'T FUNCTION outside of prison after doing long hard time..AND when you add to it the fact that many of them have no one on the outside it just intensifies it ya know..
@MalloryDavis (15)
• United States
13 Sep 08
Hi Raven...you won't remember me...but I remember you. I am now MalloryDavis...I was another name. If you read up you'll see the comment. I don't think you need to know who I was...but who I am now.
I have a real heart for those guys who get caught up in this rough life. I try to help my guy; sometimes it's good and he's good--somtimes not. He has mentioned the retirement plan. I hope he's not serious.
Thanks for reading.
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
12 Sep 08
I think its a little more basic than that.
When you get to age 70 and have become acustomed to something its extremely hard to stay away from it.
Has anybody asked how this man will actually live outside prison ?
Does he have the means ?
Like some kind of income or support ?
There is more to the matter than meets the eye most of the time.
1 person likes this
@Hope32 (119)
• United States
12 Sep 08
This is not right. Poor man he needs some help. He is so use to being in prison that he thinks he would not make it outside the prison walls. He knows if he is in prison he will have something to eat. This goes to show us how hard it is in todays world. We need to try and help in what ever way we can.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
17 Sep 08
Maybe he felt safer in prison and it was a place he didn't have to worry about getting 3 meals a day his laundry done and a bath. Maybe the outside world wasn't so nice to him and so he wanted back in to a place so he wouldn't have to worry about a bed to sleep in at night and a place to stay warm. Maybe he thought going back was better then being homeless if he was.
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
13 Sep 08
I always have been thought that two bad things don't make a right, Even if bureaucracy hinders people from getting what is theirs by right, people should fight for their rights using the proper channel.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
26 Jun 09
I have an Uncle that has spent a lot of years in prison and he also says he does better in prison then outside it. He knows what's expected of him and has someone else in charge of things so it's less stressful. He's quite sick now so he'll never go back b/c the prison's don't want to deal with his illness but he still struggles to live in the real world.
[b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]
@punkin1803 (526)
• United States
12 Sep 08
My goodness he must not be in his right state of mind if you ask me!! He stole 50 dollars. Thats not even enough for gas for a week!!! And to me its really sad in a ay becuse being locked up for all those years. Thats really all he knows!! And all he is use to. I hope and pray that God is watching over him.
@DaddyOfTheRose (2934)
• United States
2 Oct 08
I think that was sort of one of the issues in the movie "Shawshank Redemption."
@likaes (496)
• Singapore
13 Sep 08
Home means a different thing to everyone. To this man, he has lived most of his life, 52 years now, in prison. I think if I had lived that long in any place, I'd consider that to be my home, regardless if I were a criminal or not.
He probably doesn't have anybody waiting for him outside of prison, or many relatives who care about him. His family is right there in prison.
@iceblizzard (749)
• Philippines
13 Sep 08
This man has been very obsess with his life in prison that he opted to go back instead of living his life being free. Well, a prisoner life is good anyways. You're house is always guarded and the food is free.
What else can you ask specially at that point of your life? He feels he better spend the rest of his life in jail because he get used to it.
What else can you ask specially at that point of your life? He feels he better spend the rest of his life in jail because he get used to it.
@momathome (474)
• Canada
12 Sep 08
Yes I think this is normal for most. Once you become institutionalized for most of your life that is all you know. Everything changes in the world all the time and some people find it hard to cope with change when everything is routine in jail. You get used to that especially when it's what you have known for most of your existence. It's ashame though because these people will never be able to experience any thing other than what they do in jail.
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
13 Sep 08
Sad as it is Yes this can and is normal mentality behavour. I have know of someone who would pan handle all summer then before winter hit he would purposely do something stupid so he'd go to jail for the winter. There he'd be fed and warm all winter. I think that's a real crime in itself. They need to find jobs for these lazy people and make them earn their living like the rest of the bodily able men do. Someone has to pay for all this nonsense.
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
12 Sep 08
Its weird but true. People that have been in prison get "Institutionalized" after 10 years or more. They get used to having someone tell them when to go to sleep, when to eat, when to use the bathroom. Another reason this happens is time seems to stand still when they are in prison. Nothing changes much in there. However, things on the outside are constantly changing and evolving. When a person spends an extended amount of time on the inside, and then they get out, its a culture shock. Nothing is the same as when they went in. No it isn't right that people should do this, but how do you keep a person who is in prison 10, 20, 30 years from being institutionalized? How do you keep them up to date with what is going on outside, so there is no culture shock?
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
12 Sep 08
I guess I could see it. If he has spent the better part of 50 years in prison I would probably seem like his home to be in prison. It is sad really. I have also heard before that homeless people commit crimes more in winter just to have a warm place to sleep and food.
@faln_angel1205 (1192)
• United States
12 Sep 08
this is a sad reality unfortunately. I am not surprised by it though, if anyone is familiar with the movie Shawshank Redemption, there is a part of the movie that relates to this same thing. Its not the main plot of the movie, but it stood out for me. Hubby and I had a long discussion abotu if we thought the same would happen to us if we were even "away" for that long, adn we both agreed that probably so. I think its with any situation though that you are in for a length of time..for example..those who may be in mental institutions and are rehabilitated 10 yrs down the road and are able to be released and allowed to live what we all call a "normal life" I would think that many of them often feel they wnat to go back to the institution. When you are so set to not having your freedom as in prison, or such, you almost dont know how to function anymore.
