Karla Homolka could be pardoned

[CaptainCrunch]

From the closing the barn door after the horse got out. The new pardon law could come into effect too late to prevent Karla Homolka from receiving a pardon next month.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Ha...693/story.html

[ken0042]

Can't they just deny giving her a pardon?

I can see giving pardons as a relatively automatic process to the guy who got busted with 2 grams of pot back in the 70's; but why does any murderer even have a chance at getting one?

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I can see giving pardons as a relatively automatic process to the guy who got busted with 2 grams of pot back in the 70's;

I'm glad your not a judge !

nm

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

From the closing the barn door after the horse got out. The new pardon law could come into effect too late to prevent Karla Homolka from receiving a pardon next month.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Ha...693/story.html

The problem isn't that she can apply for a pardon. I have no problem with that.

The problem is that, according to Harper, 99% of those applying for a pardon get one.

That's seriously suspicious if true.

Cowperson

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I can totally see giving her a pardon, you know if you didn't hear you properly or accidentally bumped into you while walking. However to get out of prison? Nope, you can stay there.

My blood boils thinking that Darren Muise is getting unsupervised passes, now a pardon for Homolka?

Like Cowperson said, I have no problem with her application for a pardon, but I pray she's denied. Alas in the case with Wood, I wonder if she will be?

[malcolmk14]

Homolka's been out of prison for five years, this is to clear the murders from background checks.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Homolka's been out of prison for five years, this is to clear the murders from background checks.

I would bet it also makes a name change and travel much easier.

[burn_this_city]

Too bad no one offed her in jail.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Homolka's been out of prison for five years, this is to clear the murders from background checks.

I don't understand why they should be cleared from her records. Her conduct and dishonesty during the trial, her conduct while she was in prison, her refusal to take responsibility for her roles in the murders.

You would think that a large part of getting a pardon would be taking responsibility for your actions.

But then again, I'm not a judge who believes in the good of everyone and that they need a pat on the bum now and then to steer them straight.

[Huntingwhale]

I would not object if someone somewhere took some vigilante justice against her.

[WilsonFourTwo]

If our penal system is about punishment, than no, pardons should not be given (ever).

If our penal system is about rehabilitation, than yes, pardons should be given to those that have done as the courts instructed.

This probably won't make me popular here, but......the idea behind the pardon is to provide a fresh start to those who have successfully completed rehabilitation.

Her crime was obviously (MUCH) more heinous than carrying a few joints, but Homolka has (afaik) done everything she's been instructed too as part of her rehabilitation, and lived a clean life upon release. I find it distasteful that she can receive a pardon, but I find it completely fair.

[FlamesAddiction]

Extemely violent crimes (murder, rape, assaults that cause permanent disability or disfigurement, child abuse) should never be pardoned in my opinion.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Extemely violent crimes (murder, rape, assaults that cause permanent disability or disfigurement, child abuse) should never be pardoned in my opinion.

I completely disagree. I think that once you've completed the sentence that society (via the law and the courts) has demanded of you, you should be provided with an opportunity to start again.

That said, I think that some crimes (many of which were noted in your post) are so horrible, that a lifetime is probably not long enough to be truly be rehabilitated. I suppose this goes down the path of to what created the 'Dangerous Offender' status, and basically switches prisons from a rehab role to a punishment role for certain people.

[VladtheImpaler]

As always, the Romans had all the answers 2000 years ago. Gladiators.

[CaptainCrunch]

I wanted to debate this on two points.

I don't feel that violent offenders and sexual offenders should even be eligible for pardon's. These are people that have been willing to commit repugnent and dangerous acts, they represent a threat to society. Their actions should never be removed from public record. the police should always be aware of where these people are. I have no problems with non violent offenders getting pardons.

Isn't accepting responsibility for your actions a big part of rehabilitation? If thats the case then Karla Homolka isn't rehabilitated, she merely served time. She's never been upfront about her role in the rape and murders of those girls and the rape and murder of her sister.

Lets look at Karla's chain of event.

She played up the battered wife defense, even though it became clear that this wasn't the case.

She conspired with her lawyer and her husband to hide incrimminating evidence including video tapes that not only showed her participating in these crimes, but enjoying her role.

She engaged in a jail house relationship with a violent male offender, and upon her release continued to pursue that relationship.

Even in her interview she was more concerned with the effects of the crimes on herelf and her lifestyle then being really sorry about what she did.

She continued a sexual relationship with a female inmate because she managed to con the inmate into buying her clothes and a computer.

She has manipulated people and manipulated the system through the entire event, she willingly participated in violent crimes, and she's in no way sorry.

There shouldn't even be a hearing, but my guess is that her pardon will be rubberstamped.

[algernon]

If I was in charge, I'd sell her into slavery for some warlord in another country.
POS people like her should live a lifetime of pain.

[BloodFetish]

Hrm. Maybe when Vince Li gets pardoned they can ride the Greyhound together.

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo

If our penal system is about punishment, than no, pardons should not be given (ever).

If our penal system is about rehabilitation, than yes, pardons should be given to those that have done as the courts instructed.

This probably won't make me popular here, but......the idea behind the pardon is to provide a fresh start to those who have successfully completed rehabilitation.

Her crime was obviously (MUCH) more heinous than carrying a few joints, but Homolka has (afaik) done everything she's been instructed too as part of her rehabilitation, and lived a clean life upon release. I find it distasteful that she can receive a pardon, but I find it completely fair.

I agree with you in theory... However, IMO, there's a very clear distinction that needs to be made: completing a sentence is not the same as being rehabilitated. In this case, she's served her sentence but I don't believe she's been rehabilitated from what I've read. AFAIK, she hasn't even admitted that what she did was wrong.

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I wanted to debate this on two points.

I don't feel that violent offenders and sexual offenders should even be eligible for pardon's.

I'm not completely opposed to something like that, but it would be very important to strictly define what constitutes a violent offender or a sexual offender that's not eligible for pardons and not let the scope of that creep.

You hear of people in the USA getting put on the sex offender registry for getting busted drunkenly taking a piss behind some bushes and other such really trivial, harmless things. I'm not a law talking guy and I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night, but that just seems really really wrong to me.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

I agree with you in theory... However, IMO, there's a very clear distinction that needs to be made: completing a sentence is not the same as being rehabilitated. In this case, she's served her sentence but I don't believe she's been rehabilitated from what I've read. AFAIK, she hasn't even admitted that what she did was wrong.

.

She has served out the terms and conditions imposed upon her as per the agreement reached with her by the state in return for her co-operation in uncovering sufficient evidence to give closure to the case.

My view is if people have a problem with that they should consider looking at the officials who negotiated an agreement with her that was later determined, I believe, to have been unnecessary.

We're really talking about society not liking the lighter sentence agreed to by our officials and wanting to find improbable ways of grabbing a greater pound of flesh instead.

We'd really like to get more revenge on this woman.

An apology was never a requirement or a condition of the agreement. If she was into public relations she might realize that might be helpful in her instance but that doesn't seem to be important to her or she's getting bad advice.

So we dog her incessently as though she were an incurable pedophile.

Is she an incurable murderer? I doubt it. Is he remorseful? I think she's remorseful that she will be hounded the rest of her life by a society that feels she hasn't been sufficiently punished. I'm not sympathetic.

Cowperson

[HOZ]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I wanted to debate this on two points.

I don't feel that violent offenders and sexual offenders should even be eligible for pardon's. These are people that have been willing to commit repugnent and dangerous acts, they represent a threat to society. Their actions should never be removed from public record. the police should always be aware of where these people are. I have no problems with non violent offenders getting pardons.

Isn't accepting responsibility for your actions a big part of rehabilitation? If thats the case then Karla Homolka isn't rehabilitated, she merely served time. She's never been upfront about her role in the rape and murders of those girls and the rape and murder of her sister.

Lets look at Karla's chain of event.

She played up the battered wife defense, even though it became clear that this wasn't the case.

She conspired with her lawyer and her husband to hide incrimminating evidence including video tapes that not only showed her participating in these crimes, but enjoying her role.

She engaged in a jail house relationship with a violent male offender, and upon her release continued to pursue that relationship.

Even in her interview she was more concerned with the effects of the crimes on herelf and her lifestyle then being really sorry about what she did.

She continued a sexual relationship with a female inmate because she managed to con the inmate into buying her clothes and a computer.

She has manipulated people and manipulated the system through the entire event, she willingly participated in violent crimes, and she's in no way sorry.

There shouldn't even be a hearing, but my guess is that her pardon will be rubberstamped.

Come on Captain....the worst of the WORST was the FIRST.....

She offered up her little sister to a sadistic pedophilic-rapist and covered it up with that sadistic pedophilic-rapist.

The one and ONLY evidence that I believe from her husband was that SHE did the killings. He wasn't a killer. She was.