So who is paying this bill? Is it the State (us) or the University (the students' parents)? Either way, that is a problem.

"Let Seymour learn how to knit, so he can make sweaters for the poor in Third World countries or something. But giving him access to the fine teachers at BU is an obscene waste."

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I'm waiting for the day they offer internet access in prison. While they are at it, why not throw in some lazy boy recliners and cold beer.

These people must have forgotten WHY indivuals like him are sent to prison in the first place. Prisoners do NOT need a college education (funded by WHO by the way?). Cranking out license plates at 19 cents an hour is the only thing civilized they should get.

The guy who lied about killing JonBenet Ramsey had this $30 meal before his hearing. Why? "...You have been convicted of 1st degree murder, would you like some champaign with your steak?"

Time wasted in prison alone does not a reformed man make. Educating a killer is not going to make him realize the error of his ways. Try the old fashioned methods, faith, religion, a counselor, whatever gets to them. But don't spend wasted money on college. What is he going to do with the education? Spiritual education is the one thing proven of prisoners. That's it. Or maybe learning to read if they are very under-educated. Prisoners get books to read to help develop a more gentile attitude. Books like poetry and music.

Did this guy plead insanity for murdering his son? If that was the case, he shouldn't have recieved the education in the first place for being mentally unstable. If he didn't plead insanity, then he should have been put down like a dog. Anyone with little respect for their own children deserves prison.

This just shows money can buy you way to much in this country. If he lived in any other country, they would have cut his "you know whats" off, thrown him in prison, and let him rot.

Hello Jim,
Hi Jim,
I do agree with you that Richard Seymour should
never be paroled and live a normal life as a
free person in our society. I believe all human
beings have the capacity to grow and be productive
in their lives. When I was going for my Master's
Degree in Counseling Psychology in 1979-1980,
I actually wrote my thesis and did my internship
on reabilitation and personal growth while doing
time in prison. We live in a civilized society,
and I think we must reach out to all human beings.

Mr Campanini,

You make a cynical, shallow and sensational appeal to the base instincts of people who prefer a simplistic world to a real world. You rant against a strawman "> and ignore many more important problems with prison

Of all prisoner students BU has given degree
s to you picked the one that is the least sympathetic and the least representative

You cherry pick an unrepresentative, isolated and extreme example, use it to justify (and I quote directly your last sentence) "torture ".

Here in the reality based community, we have a few problems with inflicting of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure even on convicted killers

nbsp;

One problem, Mr Campanini with torture for convicted killers, is that many of them are completely innocent. How much money you have and the color of your skin have a lot to do with your guilt or innocence. That, Mr Campanini, is a real problem.

nbsp;

Mr Campanini, Torture is not something you do "despite your Christian upbring", it is something you do in violent opposition to all that is Christian.

C'mon, Bill, even a righteous liberal like you can see the waste of a two BU degrees on Richard Seymour. Wouldn't you rather have that elite instruction going to a poor kid in Lowell who has a chance to become a productive member of society? I commend you for getting a psychology degree, but I don't believe that every incarcerated criminal can be rehabilitated and released into society. The problem with liberals is that they never know when to leave bad enough alone. Still, I love you, Bill. Keep the comments coming.

Hey, Dan, go blow some smoke up some other blog. Stick to the point. Yes, Seymour is the case I picked out because he went before the parole board for release. And if I could get access to all of BU's records to see who the hardened criminals they have given instruction to, I'd still be complaining. For $1,200, prisoners can get access to some of the best instruction in the nation. That seems outrageous, when inner-city kids and the middle class can't get access to BU with a winning lottery ticket. Should prisoners be taught skills. Absolutely. Like I said, teach them to knit or to work in India as outsourcing specialists, but don't teach them to be child counselors like BU is. I respect your viewpoint that all is good in the world, and that bad people can become honest citizens. I just don't believe it, because recidivism rates for violent crime prove my point 65 percent of the time.

Hello Jim ol pal,

Faith, Hope and Love are the primarly values
we must live by. I know you and I differ
in philosophies of life, and this is what I
live my life by.
I know alot of work has to be done,and
we must start somewhere. I am so happy
I found this website, and you are doing
a great job in the Merrimack Valley.
I love you too man,
Peace...bill deignan

i agree with you that he should not have access to a college degree, or any other benefits for that matter, what people dont' understand or what they have forgotten is, people in prison are criminals THEY ARE BEING PUNISHED. i actually got into a debate with my boyfriend about this and he said, "if you were in prison you would want an education" and i replied with , when your grounded you want to hang out with you friends or talk on the phone but you don't get it do you? no. you don't people need to buckle down and realize that they can't make everything comfortable and prisoners deserve to be treated like crap.