Will History Always Repeat Itself?

On December 31, 1969 15-year-old Jackie Lee Thompson killed his “pregnant” girlfriend Charlotte Goodwin. A few months later he was sentenced to life in prison. However, the Judge that sentenced him, Charles G. Webb, told him:

“You will always have hope in a thing of this kind. We have found that, in the past, quite frequently, if you behave yourself, there is a good chance that you will learn a trade and you will be paroled after a few years."

But should this be this case? Jackie Lee Thompson murdered an innocent young girl. Should he be freed from prison simply because he behaved well? It does not matter how he behaves in prison, what does matter is how he behaves outside of prison.

In 1957 a man named James Hubbard went to prison for a second-degree murder conviction in the death of David Dockery in Tuscaloosa County. He was released in 1976. A year later he killed another innocent person, 62-year-old Lillian Montgomery. Lillian had befriended Hubbard and "sponsored" him to gain his release in 1976. After she helped him he still proceeded to shoot her three times and rob her of her gold and diamond wristwatch and about $500 in cash and checks.

The release of James Hubbard resulted in the death of an innocent woman. How can we know history will not repeat itself with 50-year-old Jackie Lee Thompson? He killed once, how can we be sure he will never kill again? History has shown that a murderer is more likely to kill again than a person who has never killed. But then again, should we judge one person on the actions of others? Every person is different and reacts to a situation in different ways. The question and answer lies only in the hands of the Judge who will handle Thompson's case.