A private member's bill from Oxford Conservative M-P Dave MacKenzie is continuing to make headway in Ottawa.
Oxford's member of parliament continues to push a private member's bill to end authority by prison wardens to grant temporary escorted absences to those serving murder sentences.
Dave Mackenzie says his bill -- if successful -- would give that power over to the National Parole Board.
"With National Parole, victims have a right to be informed, to provide information to National Parole but once it gets in to where the prison wardens control it, there is no involvement by victims even to the notification that someone is now out on the street."
Currently, the parole board can grant any temporary escorted absence until a killer's last three years behind bars -- after which the decision making is then transferred to wardens in the prison system.
Mackenzie says the bill is necessary for victims of crime, who have a right to be informed when an inmate serving murder is to be granted any escort privileges during their sentence.
Currently family victims of murder crime are alerted to appear before National Parole Board for hearings, but still have no input into the decisions which wardens can impose.
Mackenzie says the Parole Board follows a national set of criteria for allowing such freedoms -- and having the decision fall to various wardens could create future problems.
"It is the system that is wrong and that is why I have this Bill forward so that we can fix the system so the prison wardens aren't blamed for things they have done that others might say is wrong."
MacKenzie says the bill is currently at committee stage, and could return for a third reading in the house before the end of the Spring session.
Oxford County Wants Your Climate Stories
Charges Laid after Single-Vehicle Collision
SIU Closes Investigation in Embro
Collision in Zorra Sends Two to Hospital
PJHL Preview - Sept 25th to Sept 27th
Navy Vets Preview - Sept 25th and Sept 26th
Fatal Fire Investigation Concludes in Simcoe
Drumbo Fair Celebrates 176 Years
Truth and Reconciliation March this Sunday
WPS Respond to Suspicious Device Call
Executed Warrant Results in a Charge Laid
EZT Candidate Profile - Jeremy Smith
Arpan Khanna Receives New Title
Friendly Ghost Costume Stop Returns!
Volunteer Bench Installed in Ingersoll
Fraudsters Posing as WFD Officials
Ingersoll Candidate Profile - Brian Petrie
Homelessness Centre Hot Topic at County Council
Joint Partnership Expands Residency Program
Oxford Handcrafted Trail is Launched
Comments
Add a comment