Editing Fred Woods (section)

=== The motive: "Multiple victims to get multiple millions" ===
If Woods does get to another parole hearing, he might consider the path taken by the other two kidnappers who did win release. Richard Schoenfeld was paroled in 2012, and brother James in 2015. Both made the case to the parole board that they were no longer a threat to society and recognized the harm caused by their crime. In his successful parole hearing, James Schoenfeld became the first kidnapper to explain the motive for three rich kids to hijack a school bus.

He said, despite their parents' wealth, that both he and Fred Woods had run up serious debts. He explained, "We needed multiple victims to get multiple millions, and we picked children because children are precious. The state would be willing to pay ransom for them.  And they don't fight back. They're vulnerable. They will mind."

Woods has been called the ringleader and a sociopath by the sheriff of Madera County where the school bus was hijacked. Past parole hearings have found Woods to be evasive, unable or unwilling to follow prison rules and failing to acknowledge the severity of his crime.  He has been cited for multiple disciplinary infractions including three for possession of pornography and two for possessing cell phones. 

Perhaps it is the children — and their long struggles to lead normal lives — who provide a hopeful lesson from the Chowchilla kidnapping.  Psychiatrist Dr. Terr calls the kids, "little heroes of medicine" who have shown through their stories the devastation caused by even brief moments of terror and short separations from parents. Today we know the importance of prompt treatment for psychological wounds.  Whether caused by mass shootings or other traumas, intense therapy and early counseling provide the best chance for recovery from those wounds.
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Kidnapper]]
[[Category:Living Villains]]
[[Category:Imprisoned]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Modern Villains]]