You or I might rather be dead than spend life in prison but there are criminals who have been incarcerated so many times from an early age that they become institutionalized. The may not be able to function in normal society but they do quite well for the circumstances they have become adapted to. They eat and sleep, have sex, run criminal enterprises behind bars. Have you ever heard of a convict being released after years in prison and immediately committing some stupid crime just to get thrown back behind bars? In the case of someone like Manson his life is no different than it would have been without being a murderer. He has not been punished for his crimes any more than if he would have robbed a few banks
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/designer-makes-bulletproof-clothing-for-kids/ It's pretty sad that this is what it's come to.