Why is Charles Manson still alive?

Because technically, he didn't kill anyone!!

Liberal California Supreme Court had banned the Death Penalty back from 1972 through 1976... Charlie was convicted in 1971 and the court overturned his sentence !!

I'm surprised that when California reinstated the Death Penalty his sentence didn't revert BACK !!

California is SCREWED re: the death penalty... heck we've got folks sitting on San Quentin's Death Row for 20+ years !!

I say fire up the chair again... do all of them over a few weeks and save the taxpayers billions !!

He was originally sentenced to death in 1971, but the sentence was automatically commuted to life imprisonment the following year, when a court decision invalidated the California death penalty law.

(Over 100 other death row inmates also had their sentences commuted at the same time.)

When a new law was adopted, it could not be applied to him or others like him, since the U.S. Constitution prohibits ex post facto laws. (Meaning you can't apply a law to an act that took place before the law was enacted.)

Why is he still in jail is my question. He didn't physically harm anybody...only used his words. He didn't hold a gun to anybodys head and force them to commit those crimes. Those people knew right from wrong, and anyone of them could've left at any time.

Because he is in a California prison. They take decades to finally execute someone. Plus he only got life, not the death penalty

Upon conviction of his crimes, California had no death penalty in effect, and sentencing was life without parole. Apparently his sentence is being currently served.

Why is Oprah Winfrey still on television?

same reason Mark David Chapman is

Because he's the only normal human left on the planet...

Because when he was convicted, there was no death penalty there. He got lucky. I agree that he should be dead by now. He is a real piece of ----.

Because our justice system is run by morons.