Case Study of Robbery and Burglary Ambrose A. Harris had a violent past history. He had spent his entire life in prison for crimes of robbery and burglary in young age. He was later convicted for the brutal murder of Kristen Huggins on December 17, 1992 and was spending his time in prison on a death row. The prison guards had declared him “noncongregate1”. This means that he was not supposed to come into any kind of contact with anyone including the prisoners. He was made to eat alone in a tiny cell and let to roam around in the courtyard in total isolation with a barbed fence around the yard.
On the other hand, Robert R. Simon was also serving his time in the prison on a death row for three murders. He also boasts of killing his prison inmate in the Pennsylvania State (Peters, 2007). In September 1999, in the New State Jersey Prison, all the death row inmates had been move to the recreational pen so that their cells could be fumigated. This was supposed to a brief and silent stay but it turned into one of the most brutal fights in the state history. It is during this short duration, the lives of Ambrose A, Harris and Robert R.
Simon intertwined. Both believed to be violent and enemies started to fight. It ended with the death of the fellow inmate Robert R. Simon. Harris is believed to have no mercy. He stamped Simon’s face and then finally jumped off the table in the recreational pen to crush Simon’s skull. The officers in the recreational pen tried unsuccessfully to intervene and stop the fight. This was the first murder inside the prison in the state’s history (Peters, 2007).A cell inmate, John Martini serving a death row for four murders, testifies that Simon started the fight.
He stated that Simon entered the recreational pen after Harris and attacked him from behind (Peterson, 2001). ''He came in kind of -- not walking, almost running -- and he said, ‘Come on, let's get it on’.2 ”The lawyer of the convict, Ambrose Harris, stated that the meeting of the two deadly prisoners was in fact a setup of the prison authorities. Harris had been declared dangerous after attacking the prison guard and was supposed to be kept in isolation at all times. The authorities also knew that the two of them were arch enemies and that there will be deadly consequences.
He also stated that Robert Simon attacked first and that Harris was only defending himself (Peterson, 2001).On the other hand, the lawyer of the prosecutor claimed that the fight had lasted a long time. He stated that the convict continued on the stamping of the skull even Simon stayed still and silent. He believed that it was not an act of self defense but rather an act to show the power and maintain his status of power (Peterson, 2001). A psychologist, Craig Haney from the University of California described this as “prisonization - a mindset among convicts that they must defend themselves to the death or face becoming a victim3.
” ReferencesPeters, J. W. (2007, Dec 10th). Revisiting Violent Past on Eve of New Jersey Death Penalty Vote. Retrieved on April 24th 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/nyregion/10death.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1Peterson, I. (2001, Jun15th). Testimony in Murder Trial Centers on Rules of Death Row. Retrieved on Apr 24th 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/15/nyregion/testimony-in-murder-trial-centers-on-rules-of-death-row.html?pagewanted=1Peterson, I. (2001, Jun 23rd). Prisoner Is Acquitted In Killing On Death Row.
Retrieved on Apr 24th 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/23/nyregion/prisoner-is-acquitted-in-killing-on-death-row.html
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