Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

ROTHENBURGER -- A little less rehabilitation and a lot more punishment


** used with permission of author

THERE’S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG with our drunk driving laws. The man who ran a red light and slammed into the marked cruiser of a Langford, B.C. RCMP constable, killing her, has been granted a six-month day parole two years into his sentence.

Kenneth Fenton was given four years in prison after his conviction in July 2017 for impaired driving causing death. That in itself is a disturbingly light sentence, but being granted a day parole is adding insult to injury.

His actions took the life of Sarah Beckett, a 32-year-old mother of two. The Parole Board of Canada decided it’s OK for Fenton to be out of jail if he doesn’t do drugs or drink and doesn’t drive.

The rationale for day parole is that if the inmate takes part in the community, he or she is better prepared for full parole. Beckett’s husband Brad Aschenbrenner is understandably unhappy, both with the parole and with the four-year sentence.

To quote Aschenbrenner: “There’s something wrong here, and it’s not right, and it has to get fixed.”

The judge who sentenced Fenton said he was guided by other sentences given those convicted of drunk driving causing death.

Each year in B.C., about 68 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents involving impaired driving. Our legal system provides for much greater penalties.

A common refrain is, “no amount of jail time can bring back the person who was killed.” But aren’t victims and their families entitled to a reasonable level of reprisal?

Our justice system is based on the honorable premise that everyone can be rehabilitated and that everything should be done to achieve that. But the Sarah Beckett case makes you think we need less rehabilitation and a lot more punishment in our system.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

This post was originally published in CFJC Today ... Everything Kamloops
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RCMP gag order comes after BC NDP catch heat for diverted safe supply (Northern Beat)

In the wake of several high-profile police drug seizures of suspected safer supply that put the BC NDP government on the defensive last month, BC RCMP “E” division issued a gag order on detachments, directing them to run all communications on “hot button” public safety issues through headquarters in the lead-up to the provincial election. “It is very clear we are in a pre-election time period and the topic of ‘public safety’ is very much an issue that governments and voters are discussing,” writes a senior RCMP communications official in an email dated Mar. 11 in what appears to have gone out to all BC RCMP detachments . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

KRUGELL: BC NDP turns its attention from BC United to BC Conservatives

The BC NDP turning its attention, from BC United, to BC Conservatives was reported over the weekend from a variety of sources. It is the result of the surge in the BC Conservative's polling numbers and the subsequent collapse of BC United. The NDP has largely ignored the BC Conservatives, instead they opt to talk about issues directly or attack their old foes BC United. Practical politics says that parties closer to the centre tend to ultimately prevail over the long haul. They do wane but often make comebacks. A good example is the federal Liberals going from third party to government in 2015. Centrism has a lot of appeal on voting day. The NDP shifting its fire from United to Conservative is a reflection of reality. BC United did buy advertising online and radio over the last few months. Did that shift the polls back to them? Nope. The reality is today, the BC Conservatives are the party of the Opposition, and day by day the Conservatives are looking like a party not ready to fig
Post a Comment
Read more

Baldrey: 2024 meets 1991? How B.C. election history could repeat itself (Times Colonist)

NOTE ... not the original image from Keith Baldrey's op/ed 1991 BC general election -- Wikipedia   A veteran NDP cabinet minister stopped me in the legislature hallway last week and revealed what he thinks is the biggest vulnerability facing his government in the fall provincial election. It’s not housing, health care, affordability or any of the other hot button issues identified by pollsters. "I think we are way too complacent,” he told me. “Too many people on our side think winning elections are easy.” He referenced the 1991 election campaign as something that could repeat itself. What was supposed to be an easy NDP victory then almost turned into an upset win for the fledgling BC Liberal Party. Indeed, the parallels between that campaign and the coming fall contest are striking ... CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more