I just know you’ll all be terribly upset to learn that Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is angry about the way he’s been treated behind bars while awaiting a second sentencing trial to see if he’ll get the death penalty or not. In fact, Tsarnaev has a lengthy list of complaints and he’s so upset that he’s filed a lawsuit. The defendants in the suit are the Bureau of Prisons and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Tsarnaev is claiming that he’s being deprived of basic necessities and contact with people and that the prison is hindering his chances of avoiding a date with the executioner. (CBS Boston)
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has filed a lawsuit over his treatment at a supermax prison.
The hand-written complaint, originally filed in January, was amended March 5. Among other things, Tsarnaev claims the defendants – which include BOP, the company that administers the prison and Attorney General Merrick Garland – are interfering with his ability to communicate with his family, placing a hold on his money and hurting his chances of avoiding a death sentence.
As is the case with all of the prisoners, Tsarnaev is restricted in how often he can see his attorneys or visitors because of the pandemic. This, he claims, is hindering his ability to “develop a relationship” with his lawyers. He’s also being prevented from sending “hobby crafts” through the mail to his attorneys. I don’t even have a guess as to what that has to do with anything, but he claims the craft pieces could “provide mitigating evidence” in the second sentencing trial.
Tsarnaev’s list of complaints doesn’t end there. He’s been placed under “Special Administrative Measures” (SAMs) due to his extremely violent nature. As a result, his privileges in prison are even more restricted than the usual convicts. He’s been prevented from mailing photographs to his family (which I’ll agree seems a bit harsh) and some of his money has been placed on administrative hold because it was sent by people not approved under the SAMs.
The prisoner only gets a limited number of phone calls and visits with family members, a situation that he describes as cruel and unusual punishment. He claims the isolation is impacting his mental health.
Not for nothing, but I just wanted to get this out of the way upfront. Dude… you blew up the Boston Marathon and murdered multiple people, including a cop. You helped kill your own brother by running him over with a car. You’re very lucky that someone hasn’t gotten their hands on you yet and torn you to pieces. A few COVID-related inconveniences are probably the least of your worries.
I’d like to say that could at least have a little sympathy for Tsarnaev and that all prisoners should at least be treated with a bare minimum of human rights. But I think we all know that I’d be lying if I said that. This guy and his brother were real-life monsters roaming the land. Sometimes the monsters have to be slain and we’re not all that picky about breaking a few eggs while making that omelet. The bomber’s upcoming sentencing trial will, however, put the Biden administration’s policies to the test. The President has already instructed the Justice Department to back off on seeking new death penalty cases. Will that rule be applied to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev? If the feds drop their push for capital punishment in this case, I imagine that even some liberals who oppose the practice are going to be upset.
