Patty Hearst pardon was uncalled for, and she should have served her seven-year jail time instead of 22 months. Though Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) on the evening of February 4, 1974, she later announced joining forces with the revolutionary guerrilla group ( Toobin, 2017) . Though people may argue that Patty Hearst was brainwashed to declare her allegiance to the group, the evidence presented by the prosecutor suggested otherwise. Patty Hearst's move to join the SLA was deliberate and intentional after thinking that her father had abandoned her.
Randolph Hearst (her father) refused to distribute food to the needy at a tune of millions of dollars as the kidnappers had demanded to secure her release ( Toobin, 2017) . Therefore, she consciously wanted to get back to her father and, as a result, decided to be a cooperative prisoner. In a released audiotape, Patty Hearst says, "I have been given the choice of being released... or joining the forces of the SLA and fighting for my freedom and freedom of all oppressed people. I have chosen to stay and fight" (Toobin, 2017) .
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Hearst went ahead and participated in a bank robbery together with other members of the SLA. A security camera at the robbed Hibernian Bank in San Francisco showed the rich newspaper heiress holding a semiautomatic carbine assault rifle (Toobin, 2017) . What is more shocking is that during the midday robbery had some time alone in a van yet never took a chance of the opportunity to drive away and seek help. She instead loyally waits for members of the revolutionary group to complete the robbery and even fires a machine gun to scare away people as they escape. In another audiotape, Hearst says, “As for being brainwashed, the idea is ridiculous beyond belief. I am a soldier in the People’s Army (Toobin, 2017) .” The evidence presented by the prosecutor was, therefore, enough to keep Patty Hearst, not for 22 months but seven years without pardon.
Reference
Toobin, J. (2017). American heiress: The wild saga of the kidnapping, crimes, and trial of Patty Hearst . Anchor.
