Man Just Freed from Prison Kills Mom
On Sunday, October 12, Gwendolyn Pratt was found dead in a house in Atlantic City. According to an autopsy performed, she died from "massive blunt injuries" to her head. Her son, Steven Pratt, was found at the scene and has been taken in as a suspect in her murder. In a twist of events, Steven had been released from prison two days earlier after serving 30 years for shooting and killing his neighbor in 1984. Steven was 15 at the time.
This event saddens me, and I wonder if something could have prevented such an act. I have to think that in thirty years someone at the prison would have noticed a mental instability in Pratt, so why wasn't anything done before he was released back into society? I hope this is a learning lesson, and that no other similar event happens again.
I think that it is really sad that a man who finally got a second chance to be free wasted it by committing a senseless act of violence. Hopefully this will inspire new programs in prisons that help convicts make the most of their freedom after being released rather than doing things that will just land them back in jail again.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really sad event that makes one question the motive behind this man's actions. If there was a deeper reason than just senseless violence. It also makes a person think about the rehabilitation program in our current prison system. With the rise of mental health patients in prison, it may be time to consider overhauling the current system in favor of a fresh approach to a growing problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat?!! This is crazy! I agree that it is really sad that this man killed his mom, especially right after getting out of prison for murder. It's incredible to me that his imprisonment didn't teach him not to kill people. I hope that, if he really is convicted as the killer, he gets a life sentence and some counseling, because obviously simply putting him in jail doesn't do the trick.
ReplyDeleteAndrew brought up a really good point about prisoners and mental health. Are we still in the Dark Ages where mental patients are locked up until they cure themselves? We shouldn't be, but there's such a stigma surrounding mental illness that I'm not sure anymore. You wouldn't leave a prisoner with cancer to die, so why are so many mentally unstable prisoners not given proper treatment? The brain can get sick too, and in order to prevent released prisoners from going back to their old habits, prisons must try harder to rehabilitate prisoners rather than punish them.
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