[mannykannot]

> If the family believed the sentencing wasn’t accurate that’s a different matter.

It probably depends on what you mean by 'accurate'. They almost certainly do not believe this person has repayed a debt to the victim, the victim's family or society in general. Phrasing the issue as one of repaying a debt is problematical when it is beyond the means of the perpetrator to make amends.

Note that this is not an argument for the doctors doing anything different. All else aside, it is in the best interests of society as a whole that they should select the most medically-suitable candidate available for this research.

[agumonkey]

Considering the situation, a very important medical experiment but over a socially sensitive patient, would it help to keep the guy anonymous ?

[ehnto]

There isn't even a consensus on what prison is actually for, so this discussion is doomed to be ambiguous and fruitless. Is it punitive, is it rehabilitation, is it about separating danger from the rest of society, or is it some kind of morale debt collection?