© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 1

• Charles Manson was born “No Name Maddox” on
November 12, 1934.
• His mother was a teenage alcoholic prostitute who was in and out of prison; she once offered to “sell” him for a pitcher of beer.
• While his mother was in prison, Manson was passed among relatives who did not want him. His grandparents abused him because he did not behave in accordance with the Bible.
• His stepfather named him Charles Milles Manson.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 2

• Manson was placed in the Gibault Home for Boys when he was 12 years old.
• He was often beaten for rules infractions and bullied by others because of his small size.
• He learned how to commit crimes, never reveal his true feelings, and control others.
• He ran away but was found and beaten when he was brought back to Gibault.
• He kept running away to find his mother.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 3

(Continued)
• He stole to get food, drank alcohol, stole cars, and burglarized homes.
• He never succeeded in locating his mother.
• He was unwelcome at his relatives’ homes because of his delinquent behavior.
• At 13 years of age, he was sent to the Indiana Boys
School, Plainfield, Indiana.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 4

“Plainsville has turned out more hard-core criminals than honest citizens.”
-Charles Manson
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 5

(Continued)
• Manson was physically abused and beaten by staff members.
• He received no medical attention for his injuries.
• For three years, he was raped repeatedly by other boys and, in turn, raped others.
• He was a constant disciplinary problem.
• He learned to defend himself through violence.
• A constant runaway, he was always brought back and beaten by the staff.
• He learned to trust no one, developed no social skills, and received no education.
• At 16 years of age, he successfully ran away from
Plainfield.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 6

• According to Manson, “I didn’t even know how to have a conversation with anyone.”
• Manson said, “I had not one single moment of joy and dreams. I built an imaginary world for myself. On the outside I projected arrogance and disdain for rules. I had never even kissed a girl. I had strong sexual urges. I just went for sex the only way it had been taught to me.”
• As an adult, Manson describes the deviant environment at
Plainfield as being the main reason for the development of his character —manipulating and exploiting others with no remorse or conscience.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 7

• After his escape from Plainfield, he went searching for his mother.
• He stole cars and money and moved toward California.
• He was arrested in Utah for taking a stolen car across state lines, which is a federal offense.
• He was sentenced to the National Training School for
Boys in Washington, D.C.
• He became even more cunning and manipulative while at the federal facility because, according to Manson, these inmates were the “elite” among criminals.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 8

• According to Manson, “I never was a ‘juvenile’ anything, only an inmate in some reformatory.”
• Beginning with his mother’s rejection, Manson never really belonged anywhere. Crime and violence was all he knew as a child.
• His role models were adults who beat him and older boys who beat and raped him repeatedly.
• He never received education or skill training of any kind.
• Manson said, “My attitude of wanting to be Mr. Straight left me.”
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 9

(Continued)
• Incarcerated since he was 12 years old, Manson was paroled at 19. He lived with an aunt and uncle —the only people who ever showed him any kindness.
• He got jobs as a janitor and a busboy, weeded gardens, pumped gas, and fed livestock.
• He married in 1955, had a child and returned to committing crimes to make money.
• Eventually, his wife left, taking their son, whom he has not seen since.
• When he was 21 years old, he went to California in a stolen car.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 10

--Rolling Stone Magazine
On the nights of August 9 and 10, 1971, members of the Charles Manson
“family” randomly slaughtered seven persons. The same people had committed two unrelated murders earlier. At the age of 35, Manson had been incarcerated most of his life, as an adult and a juvenile. He had no education and social skills.
Manson recruited a group of “hippies” off the streets of California. Manipulative and charismatic, Manson convinced his “family” that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ. He believed that the Beatles’ song “Helter Skelter” was a message intended directly for him, telling him to start a race war between African
Americans and Caucasians. He thought that the African Americans would win but would not know how to run things; he and his family, safely hidden in the desert, would emerge; and Manson would rule the world. He believed that the race war would begin with Caucasians being murdered and African Americans being blamed for the crime. Manson sent members of the family to start “Helter
Skelter.” All, including Manson, were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 11

• Sharon Tate Polanski and her full-term unborn child
• Abigail Folger
• Voytek Frykowski
• Jay Sebring
• Steven Parent
• Leno LaBianca
• Rosemary LaBianca
• Gary Hinman
• Donald “Shorty” Shea
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 12

• Charles Manson
• Susan Atkins
• Patricia Krenwinkel
• Leslie Van Houten
• Charles “Tex” Watson
• Robert Beausoleil
• Bruce Davis
• Steve Grogan
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 13

April 19, 1971
Los Angeles, CA
“It is my considered judgment that not only is the death penalty appropriate, but is almost compelled by the circumstances. I must agree with the prosecutor that if this is not a proper case for the death penalty, what should be? The Department of Corrections is ordered to deliver you to the custody of the Warden of the State Prison of the State of California at San
Quentin to be by him put to death in the manner prescribed by the law in the State of California.”
-Superior Court Judge Charles Older
The U.S. Supreme Court found the death penalty unconstitutional. The
Manson “family” killers are serving life sentences; none has ever been paroled. It is unlikely that they will ever be.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 14

• “I took in people who your society rejected and gave them love, a home, and a family. And now, these children who come at you with knives —that’s what you deserve!”
-Charles Manson
Sentencing Hearing
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 15

• Manson’s biographer—Nuel Emmons—served time in prison with Manson. He was the only person
Manson trusted enough to write his story.
• “What made Manson what he is? The unbroken chain of horrifying abuse and neglect from early childhood on, doesn’t explain it all, for others with an equally unhappy past have managed to escape his fate. The mystery of Manson’s life and the man he became doesn’t easily yield itself to examination. In his story, some of the answers may begin to emerge, allowing us to see him, and perhaps some part of ourselves, more clearly.” -N. Emmons
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 16

• “I had a lot of help becoming the person that I am.”
• Biological theories: Manson’s mother was anti-social, uncaring, and abusive —all traits exhibited by Manson as a juvenile and an adult.
• Psychoanalytic theories stress that early childhood experiences are crucial in creating a healthy, functional adult.

• The “XYY” Theory: Manson was an aggressive predator, said to have the XYY chromosome pattern.
• Cohen’s Subculture of Delinquency Theory:
Manson was not taught social values and modes of personal achievement. He was born into a family where aspirations to succeed as an adult were alien and rejected.

(Continued)
Conduct Disorder: At an early age, Manson would have met the diagnostic criteria for
Conduct Disorder.
Children learn to do what they see the adults do. Manson had poor adult role models who were involved in crimes, substance abuse, and antisocial behavior toward others and who lacked education or social skills.

• Manson’s early offenses were status offenses —petty thefts, truancy, failure to obey authority figures, and incorrigible behavior.
• His career escalation is evident in his
“graduation” to car thefts, burglaries, robberies, and escape from custody.
• After spending most of his life in juvenile and adult incarceration, he had no education, social skills, or empathy for others.

• As a result of juvenile delinquency and adult crimes, homicide came easily to Manson.
• Having no family stability of his own as a child,
Manson collected “social outcasts.” These outcasts became his notorious “family” and killed when he asked them to do so.
• “If I could, I’d beat your brains out because that’s what you deserve.”

• “If they should say, ‘Okay, Charlie, you can go home,’
I would ask, ‘Go where?’ You gave me a cell when I was 12 years old. Save your sympathy and know that only my body is in prison. At my will, I walk your streets and am right out there among you.”
• Charles Manson is now 73 years old. He is confined in Corcoran State Prison, California. He knows he will die in prison, the only home he has ever known.
© 2006 ITT Educational Services Inc.
Juvenile Justice: Project 1 Slide 22