No one can mention the name of Charles Manson and not think of serial killer, murderer or “the family” which was a group name of his followers. Charles Manson has become known as “the icon of evil” not only for his vicious acts but also because he used his manipulation to form a cult of brutal killers. Some of “the family” members still follow him. Currently in prison for murder and conspiracy to murder, Charles Manson is not eligible for parole until 2012. many believe that some individuals are not able to be rehabilitated and Charles Manson seems to have proven that he will not change. He served more than 8 years in prison before being convicted of his more famous crime. His history of crime has been recorded as early as nine years old, stealing everything from candy bars to cars for money.
Charles Manson did not have a happy childhood with a drunk for a mother and an absent father; he seemed to be just a product of his environment. Many times being left to his own devices, Charles Manson developed a hatred for people, even developing his own philosophy on what constitutes as the meaning of life. He translated this message to what he called “the family”. Maybe he used this family to fill to void of the family he did not have as a child. Whatever the reasons, none of them are an excuse to form a cult of killers. He destroyed not only the lives lost, but also the lives of those that followed him. He used his corrupt mind to corrupt the minds of others.
The question that comes to mind is; why did Charles Manson have so many followers and why do people continue to follow him? Charles Manson has become a glorified killer and idols of other serial killers. He has received more mail than any other prisoner in the United States and has received numerous marriage proposals. His heinous crimes apparently have not made a big enough impact. Or maybe they have made an impact, just not in the negative way many people expected and feel he deserves. The lives he took are gone, yet his life lives on and appears to carry a similar hold on people that he held before. It hardly seems fair and one almost feels as though justice hasn’t fully been served.
Charles Manson is currently serving a lifetime sentence in California’s Corcoran Prison only because his death penalty was overturned when California’s supreme court outlawed the death penalty. Sometimes however, life in prison doesn’t seem to be enough of a punishment. Not to mention that he is eligible for parole in four years. And while he may be 78, knowing the impact that he had on people and still has on people, the debate is on if it would be beneficial to release him into the world, especially after spending over four decades in prison. Should Charles Manson be kept in solitude and out of contact with the world? Some may say that Charles Manson is not an idol but an icon of evil!