You Know What? Screw the Children, Too.

I know we've got a real "fuck 'em" attitude toward the incarcerated in this country. And I'm not one to try to understand law, lawyers, judges, or sentencing. But this sentence of Nixzaliz Santiago, a.k.a. the mother of Nixzmary Brown, sounds downright counterproductive to me.

What happened to that little girl was truly horrible, and you won't find me defending the terrible violence. (In case those readers outside of NYC haven't heard about the case itself, the short version is that a 7-year-old girl lived a life akin to torture, primarily at the hands of her stepfather Cesar Rodriguez, until she was finally beaten to death. Rodriguez dealt the final blow, and Santiago did nothing. Yes, truly horrible.)

Santiago's defense centered at least partially around that she too was a victim of Rodriguez's violence, which tends to be a rationale I believe. This judge and jury didn't, and they gave Santiago more years in prison than Rodriguez. But even this isn't even my biggest problem here.

As long as Santiago is in prison, she's not allowed to see her other children. Her children can't visit her for 43 years. This is a punishment for her children as much as it's a punishment for her. Why should her children be denied what little love their mother might be able to provide from prison?

And if we accept that the purpose of prison is rehabilitation, how is cutting Santiago off from the love children offer going to help that process?

I mean, really, I'm cynical. But our prison system is utterly lacking in hope, if not downright destructive and nihilistic.