Odd
Inmates have legal right to arm themselves:
Several weeks ago a memorably strange ruling came down from our Circuit Court bench. In a death penalty case involving the fatal stabbing of one prison inmate by another, Judge Pamela North instructed the jury that a person may arm himself “in reasonable anticipation of an attack.”
November 6th, 2006 at 11:04 am
Makes sense to me in a way. If you (as a person) know that someone is going to attack you, it’s common sense to find a weapon. I don’t care how illegal and how against the rules it is for you to arm yourself, you would be an idiot if you didn’t try. Our survival instinct is too high to expect any differently.
There aren’t enough details of the incident in the article to know if the inmate was attacked first and fought back or if he jumped the guy with his “self-defense” knife. I find it odd that they are focusing on the carrying of the weapon. Shouldn’t they be more concerned with whether the killing was justified and not the tool he used? Either he rightfully defended himself or he didn’t. The weapons charge should be handled by a lesser charge or penalty.
November 6th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Actually, I agree with the judge. Most states have let their prisons get completely out of control, turning a blind eye to gangs, routine violence, rape and all manner of things. If the guards aren’t going to protect the inmates, it’s hard to argue that the inmates can’t protect themselves.
November 6th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Wait a second, law-abiding civilians in many states cant arm themselves in anticipation of an attack. I’m curious to see the precise legal grounding for this decision.