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NC governor says she won't free 20 prisoners

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RALEIGH -- North Carolina's governor is refusing to release 20 of the state's violent offenders next week, saying legal issues involving credits for good behavior must be resolved first. Gov. Beverly Perdue said in a statement Thursday that she questions whether prison officials had the authority to give the inmates the credits. Those credits were thought to have shaved time off prison terms, allowing some inmates to be released because of a 1970s state law that limited so-called life sentences to 80 years. The law has since been changed. Perdue and other officials have sought to keep the inmates behind bars since they lost a lawsuit brought by one inmate. Most of the inmates to be released were convicted of rape or murder and few were to be supervised. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Hmmm

If the men are supposed to be freed legally then they should be. You can't just arbitrarally decide when to apply the law and when not to. I don't like it anymore than anyone else, but the law is the law. Change it, but don't just decide to ignore it.

You've never been a victime of crime...

Your obvious liberal view of criminals and their "freedom" leads me to believe that neither you or anyone close to you has ever had a criminal put a pistol behind your ear, pull the trigger and laugh about it! Otherwise, you would think twice before attempting to legitimize such an assinine statement. These fellows aren't in there for bad checks or failure to pay child support, these are hardened criminals with a violent history and a long rap sheet. This is the reason thay have been restricted from mixing with the remainder of society. Wake up!!!

Listen up GUEST

Try reading for a change....I DON'T like the idea of these men being set free. However, I also do NOT like our governor ignoring the law and keeping them locked up if the LAW says they should be free. Christ people, read before you reply. I ditest the idea of a bunch of killers going free...but I also detest the idea of laws being ignored. They need to quickly modify the law the make sure these people stay behind bars...not simply choose to not follow a law because it doesn't suit public opinion...

I agree

I fully support Governor Perdue in this decision. Since her inauguration, I believe this is the best decision she has made. I don't believe that credits for good behavior should apply to a life sentence, especially one that was commuted from a death sentence. From the law that is the source of this mess, it clearly states that a life sentence is equivalent to 80 years SERVED IN PRISON. I don't see anything about credits for good behavior in that statement.