"I don't think it's up to me to forgive anyone for something they did to someone else."

"I suspect that neither of these women would spit on a sidewalk, if they were ever released, but the debt they owe will only be paid in full when they remove their bodies from whatever institution they're in!"

These are both very fair and reasonable comments and they both realistically highlight the difficulty of of administering justice with mercy. It is especially difficult to show compassion to those, who in turn showed no mercy to their victims. Punishment had to be exemplary and to some extent retributive. What we are discussing is the point at which we no longer wish to extract retribution. I think we have reached it. Many others - perhaps most others - disagree.
I do not think that society's job is to extend forgiveness to the perpetrators. On that score I agree with 3 refs completely. Only the those directly affected are in any position to do that. However, the process of deciding which punishment should be meted out by society is necessarily taken out of the victim's hands. Anything less would mean a descent into Old Testament style barbarity. The fact is that there is no tariff, which a decent human being could use, which would exactly atone for what these women did. We can not tie people up and then stab them. Nobody is arguing for that. Inded you are not, 3 refs. The difference between justice and revenge is that justice tries to set a point at which it can say the punishment is complete. If somebody hurt (or God forbid) killed a member of my family, I would be capable of dismbowelling the assailant. That fact alone (rightly) would disqualify me from playing any part in the judicial proceedings except perhaps as a witness.

As I wrote in an earlier post, I believe that a terrible retribution has already been extracted. The release of these women, who have now lost their chance of a family life, of a career and forty years of freedom, might even further drive home to them what they threw away when they made their shocking decision back in 1969.

No disrespect 3 refs. I do not expect to change your mind. Just trying to explain the way I feel about it.