Legal Commentary

Bernie Madoff: Prison Hero

By Jeralyn

New York Magazine has an in-depth, 6 page article on how Bernie Madoff is faring in prison. He's a hero, groupies and all.

Based on interviews with two dozen current and former inmates, and a lawyer he gave an interview to after his arrival, a portrait emerges: Repentent? Not one bit. He's had enough of that.

“F*ck my victims,” he said, loud enough for other inmates to hear. “I carried them for twenty years, and now I’m doing 150 years.”

His Ego: Fully intact. Everyone wants his opinion about business. His closest buddies: those doing huge sentences like him, including convicted spy Jonathan Pollard and Mob Boss Carmine Persico. [More...]

What did anyone expect? That he'd be understanding about his life sentence? If repentance was the goal, he should have been sentenced to a decade. At his age, a ten year sentence is practically a life sentence, it would be long enough to for him to have plenty of time to reflect on why he was there and miss the things he cares about, yet it would have also provided him a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. If he had been shown the slightest compassion, perhaps he'd be able to feel remorse. Instead, all he can feel is bitterness.

All that aside, I do recommend reading the article.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 07, 2010 (boomark / email).