No Parole for Sirhan

The decision whether to parole Sirhan Sirhan now or in the near future is an issue of great social concern reflecting the purpose and goals of the criminal-justice system in this country. It has been reported that he was denied parole despite a favorable psychiatric report.

The staff psychiatrist at Soledad Prison has described Sirhan as “an exemplary inmate” and has said that he has “no demonstrable predilection toward violence at this time.” Because of this finding “there appears to be no psychiatric contraindication to parole consideration.”

These psychiatric opinions are irrelevant in this case.

If ever there were a case in which parole should be denied, this is such a case. The danger of recidivism is not significant, but that is the case with most murders. The goal of the penal system is not merely to protect society. Imprisonment also serves the purpose of punishing offenders and deterring future potential offenders.

The crime that Sirhan committed was so immense in its social significance that society has a right, indeed a need, to demand a very substantial penalty. It has been argued that Robert F. Kennedy’s life was no more valuable than any other man’s life and the punishment for his murder should not exceed the average sentence for similar offenders. This is nonsense!

Political assassination is unlike other murders. Sirhan killed more than one human being, and it is clear from what we know about Sirhan that he intended to do so. He attacked the American political system, he destroyed the hopes of millions of Americans, and he may have changed the course of history. Political assassinations, like acts of terrorism, tear at the very fabric of our society and wound every citizen of the nation.

Sirhan has also made the statement that he should be deported and that he can no longer pose a danger to Americans if he were thousands of miles away. On the contrary. If Sirhan were deported he would undoubtedly be received as a hero by the Palestinians he seeks to join and by others in the Middle East who see America as “the great Satan.” His act exemplifies everything the Kadafis and Khomeinis stand for: the destruction of American power, stability, and influence, and the destabilization of the American political system. Sirhan’s act was a crime against the American people and American society. His celebration in the lands of our enemies poses a continuing danger to Americans.

The punishment must fit the crime. Parole is totally inappropriate in this case. Sirhan was sentenced to life in prison and that is the sentence he should serve. Any other disposition would be a perversion of justice.

SAUL J. FAERSTEIN MD

Beverly Hills

Faerstein is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a former consultant to the California State Parole Outpatient Clinic.