File under: Duh

Today’s NYT has a story about the evolution of life prison sentences which, while remaining under the technical banner of objective journalism, is a typically whining progressive plea for a sentence of life in prison to mean something less than a life of confinement. The end product of this, they claim, is that more inmates than ever have no way out of prison except death. Here’s the gist:

Just a few decades ago, a life sentence was often a misnomer, a way to suggest harsh punishment but deliver only 10 to 20 years.

But now, driven by tougher laws and political pressure on governors and parole boards, thousands of lifers are going into prisons each year, and in many states only a few are ever coming out, even in cases where judges and prosecutors did not intend to put them away forever.

This seems more like a case of “let’s fill some Saturday inches” than anything resembling real journalism. The story, ostensibly, is that states are actually sticking to their word on prison terms. And yet it’s all related in a tone of Deep, Moral, Concern. So let’s get this straight: The Times is worried because a bunch of convicted criminals – many bloodthirsty criminals – are dying in prison, but how many stories do we see bemoaning the million plus babies killed in abortions each year? Could their priorities be any more backwards?