Les Supports Families of Olson's Victims

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 06:04 PM

The families who were left behind to grieve the murder of eleven children at the hands of Clifford Olson, say they will lobby the Federal Government to make some changes so Olson is never up for parole again. Having served 25 years for the murders, Olson is allowed to apply for parole. He did so today, and was denied. He could apply again in two years time.

The families of the victims say having to face the man who killed their loved ones, has caused grief and anguish and they shouldn't have to go through that every two years. Provincial Solicitor General John Less agrees. He released a special statement today:

"Clifford Olson had a parole hearing today; a charade that should never happen again. Automatic parole hearings for this kind of violent serial offender re-victimize the families. It is a travesty that they have to go through this time and time again.

"Federal Justice Minister Vic Toews has said government is considering options such as dismissing parole applications without a hearing when the criminal has shown no sign of rehabilitation. I very much support this position.

"Any change to federal law, regulation or protocol that gives the balance of power to victims and works on their behalf is supported by this government."

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Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 06:04 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: prickos on July 18 2006 6:43 PM

I agree!

Posted by: Gofaster on July 18 2006 7:07 PM

Me too, but....
We are dealing with a wishy-washy government....
Lets hope anyways.....

Posted by: owl on July 18 2006 7:43 PM

"Federal Justice Minister Vic Toews has said government is considering options such as dismissing parole applications without a hearing when the criminal has shown no sign of rehabilitation."

I also support this position as well with respect to the rehabilitation part. It is useless to hold a hearing when that part of the parole requirement is not met.

As far as the families go, it was their choice to appear. To think that this fellow would have been released if they had not shown up is ludicrous. The justice system might stink, but not that badly.

Posted by: CabinFeverGirl on July 18 2006 9:47 PM

Yes it was the families choice to appear, however it is not ludicrous for the families to fear Mr Olsen getting released and to appear at his hearings just to make sure they have a voice . These people who lost their children to such violent acts should have the total support and power not to have to wonder, even on the slightest chance that every two years " HE MIGHT GET RELEASED" Every two years all the pain would go over and over again. The legal system hoefully will change to give these families and other families in similar cases as much closure as possible.

Posted by: Belvedere on July 19 2006 11:49 AM

There was a good discussion on this on the CBC yesterday (Radio One). Families have not been allowed to attend parole hearings for very many years, and being allowed to speak at them is an even more recent privilege.

The purpose of a parole hearing is to determine if the criminal has been rehabilitated, period. As sad as the stories of the families are, the board does not use them to decide the fate of criminals. The parole board determines a criminal's risk to reoffend, and this does not depend on how a victim's family has suffered.

Since even the solicitor general does not want to see Olson ever released, then the chances of the parole board granting parole to Olson is next to nill. The families of the victims do not need to attend the hearings, because their stories do not affect the outcomes.