Latimer paroled
Through the appeals process, the decision to deny Robert Latimer parole has been overturned:
After seven years in prison for killing his severely disabled daughter, Robert Latimer will be freed on day parole this week.....
The appeal division of the National Parole Board this afternoon overturned a parole board decision last December that rejected Mr. Latimer's bid for parole.
The appeal division, following a month-long review, concluded Mr. Latimer does not in fact pose an undue risk to reoffend.
In its decision in December, a three-member panel of the parole board concluded: “You could not or would not describe the feelings or thoughts underlying your actions at the time of the offence.... You appear satisfied with the position that you and only you were able to determine her life or death, describing such decisions as beyond the law.”See previous post on Latimer here.
The appeal division, however, found that although Mr. Latimer was at times unfocussed, he was not unwilling to answer their questions.
“The Appeal Division finds that the Board's determinations in this regard are unreasonable and unsupported. Your responses at the hearing reveal that you did in fact demonstrate insight and were able to explain why you decided to end the life of your daughter.
The appeal division has applied two conditions to his parole: Mr. Latimer cannot have responsibility for, or make decisions for, any individuals who are severely disabled.
Cross-posted at Alas, A Blog
4 comments:
Latimer will be on day parole and will have to report to a halfway house at night.So he will be free to work and pursue his efforts to have the law changed that resulted in his arrest. According to the parol board statements, Latimer does "not agree with the law as it stands with respect to the specific circumstances of [his] current offence, [he] would continue to pursue this issue through the appropriate legal channels."
It disgusts me that his lawyer in this day parole appeal is the head of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. Whose liberty should we be talking about here?
In the article about this that I read in the Vancouver Sun, the writer was so clearly on Latimer's side that his writing about Latimer's daughter was painful to read. Twice in the article he wrote "amen to that" in regards to Latimer's parole and him being able to move on.
I would rather say "God help us all."
Right. He reportedly wants to spend time on day parole supporting the cause of euthanasia. That might make him dangerous to many people if he gathers large public support based on what has so far been a lack of corresponding understanding of disability rights and concerns.
Hopefully, he'll run into a crip with a gun and nothing to lose...
Today on CBC Radio, the show "Cross Country Checkup" will be opening the phone lines for people to talk about the Latimer case. There is a 1-800 number. You can stream the show live at cbc.ca. The show airs:
Atlantic 5:06 - 7:00 pm
Eastern 4:06 - 6:00 pm
Central 3:06 - 5:00 pm
Mountain 2:06 - 4:00 pm
Pacific 1:06 - 3:00 pm
I really hope some of us can get on the air. Please spread the word.
Post a Comment