Canada supreme court rules life without chance of parole is 'cruel' and illegal

[Polybius]

Source: The Guardian

Canada’s supreme court has ruled that life sentences without the chance of parole are both “cruel” and unconstitutional, in a landmark decision that could give more than dozen mass killers who committed “inherently despicable acts” the faint hope of release in the future.

The court unanimously determined on Friday that sentencing killers to lengthy prison terms with little hope of freedom risked bringing the “administration of justice into disrepute”.

The closely watched case centred on the fate of Alexandre Bissonnette, the gunman who killed six worshippers at a mosque in Québec City in 2017, but the court’s decision will possibly have consequences for at least 18 others who are serving multiple life sentences.

In Canada, those serving a life sentence for first-degree murder are eligible to apply for parole at 25 years. But in 2011, the Conservative government gave justices the ability to hand out consecutive sentences, rather than concurrent blocks of 25 years.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/27/canada-supreme-court-life-without-parole-cruel-unconstitutional

[XanaDUer2]

1. Hope they keep Paul Bernardo locked up

He's still young enough to pick up again kidnapping, raping, torturing, killing, and chopping bodies up.

[pandr32]

2. Gawd--I'd forgotten about him.

I still can't get over how someone like him can find a partner.

[roamer65]

9. He will need to get used to "Parole Denied".

He’s just like Manson, an easy denial.

[Matthew28]

3. I believe people that kill a lot of people

belong behind bars for life. There's no reforming such a monster and to think we can is a serious mistake. Innocent people don't deserve to have to live around such monsters as the 18 year old that just slaughtered the 19 babies in the school in Texas.

[NH Ethylene]

7. I don't think the number is as important as whether the person is likely to repeat it.

A serial killer or rapist should never be let loose because they are very likely to pick up where they left off. A perverted compulsion drives them.

The young man who just killed all those poor children was a rage killer, like a man who stalks and kills his estranged wife. They do it as a pathological response to circumstances in life that make them feel helpless and thwarted, so overwhelm them with anger. Men like that could probably be rehabilitated in time. Of course having the ability to seek parole does not mean it will ever be granted.

[LudwigPastorius]

4. Some people need to be kept away from society for the remainder of their lives.

If that infringes on the rights of a mass murderer, too fucking bad. They shouldn't have killed.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

5. Not everyone can be reformed

Or fixed, or whatever. Some people are just so broken and evil that society is better off with them never being free again.

[paleotn]

6. No, in some cases it's not....

Cases so horrible that the perp should never, ever be let back out in society. They're rare, but they do exist. Bissonnette is one of those. He should never see the light of day.

[roamer65]

8. They will have to get used to "Parole Denied".

Just because you have a right to a parole hearing doesn’t mean you will get it.

[cstanleytech]

10. I disagree and think that in select cases life without parole is warranted however

it should be handled completely different than in the US and used only sparingly for the truly most heinous criminal conduct.