Originally published at: Bill Cosby denied parole hearing | Boing Boing
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Do you think all the technical reasons the board gives are legitimate and that his lawyers did a really poor job or do parole boards just throw out this kind of stuff when they wouldn’t give you parole anyway and just want an excuse?
Parole is for people who show genuine remorse. It’s not a referendum on whether you actually did it (that’s what courts are for). And he did it. You do the crime, you do the time, even if you’re Bill Cosby.
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Looks like he kept his word.
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If we have any doubts that someone coming up for parole has done the crime, we need to seriously overhaul our judicial system… no innocent person should ever have a parole hearing, and if one does, it is a tragedy of injustice.
(And yes, I know our current judicial system does, in fact, need to be overhauled.)
With that being said: Cosby can rot in jail until he rots in hell…
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There is (supposed to be) an appellate system for that, but the reality isn’t as it should be, so people who should get an appeal often do not.
But a parole board should not and cannot be considering whether a convict is actually guilty. The parole system is not equipped for that.
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If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, but vehemently denies it is a duck then it’s best kept locked up.
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uh, this just amounts to: no innocent person should be in prison.
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You can go back to your cell now, Bill.
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I think a parole board would have to see that someone is making an effort of some kind. Refusing to participate in mandated programs isn’t just an excuse, it’s a valid reason for someone not to be released.
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My field of f@cks lay barren for him.
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I think what sucks the most (for those not directly harmed by him) is to find out the person you really looked up to for good reason (educational work and The Cosby Kids) turned out to be a villain all along.
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The whole concept of parole is that a convict has shown enough contrition, remorse and effort toward rehabilitation that it is no longer necessary to enforce their original sentence. Cosby has demonstrated none of these. That’s not a “technicality,” it’s the whole point.
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Right. But suppose that Cosby had admitted guilt and shown contrition. Would the lack of a parole release plan compiled by his lawyers have still prevented him from getting parole or is this just something that the parole board said so that they don’t have to consider his contrition or lack thereof? It surprises me that Cosby’s lawyers at least didn’t have all the ducks in a row.
If and when that ever happened I’d be willing to hear him out. Until then the point is moot.
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Exactly, no innocent person should be in prison at all, let alone long enough to be eligible for parole. If we have the concept that someone should be convincing the parole board that they are innocent, that is really messed up.
Of course, the concept of not granting parole to someone who maintains they are innocent because they are not showing regret feels a bit problematic too. I mean, we know there are innocent and railroaded people in jail.)
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How can they possibly do this? Even though Cosby looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, he nevertheless vehemently denies he is a duck!
But, yeah, if Cosby showed contrition they’d almost certainly have given parole a look: he is aged, with very little chance to re-offend, (technically) a first-time offender. (That being said, the political pressure would have been tremendous to keep him inside.)
But Cosby cares more about this pride/reputation, so he’d rather do the entire stint inside (and most likely die in prison), than ever concede that he is a disturbed, serial rapist.
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One of the cherished memories of my childhood was listening to Cosby’s early 60s records with my brothers, and rolling on the floor. That’s tainted now by this criminal. He can rot in jail if he’s unwilling to do anything towards his victims’ healing.
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Speaking of ruining cherished childhood memories, I’m not sure what’s worse:
KNOWING that someone who was an outsize presence in my childhood was a cruel serial rapist, nothing like the public image he groomed
or
NOT knowing for SURE that someone who was an outsize presence in my childhood was a child molester that people most people eventually suspected that he was.
I keep their albums in my collections but wince every time I feel at least a little urge to play them or hear them on shuffle, and can’t avoid them scrolling through my collection but can’t bear to totally amputate a part of my memories.
It’s probably why I keep nervously bracing for some shoe to drop with Fred Rogers or Bob Ross.
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No, because such a plan would normally include actions such as those Cosby has already rejected. It’s not just paperwork - if your client refuses to carry out the basic actions necessary for a release plan then any plan is meaningless from the get-go.
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