Steven Ling: Man who admitted rape and murder of woman he stabbed 60 times should be freed, Parole Board says

Yes, that is the purpose of the Parole Board, to assess the reformation of prisoners and advocate for their release or continued imprisonment.

That is the whole purpose behind our justice system.

They have the expertise, not the public, so they should be the one’s making the recommendations. I’m not sure why Sky is trying to get people wound up about a functioning legal system.

On the face of it, do I think someone like that should ever be released? Not really, but I also recognise that that comes from a desire for punishment and that our gut emotional reactions aren’t always the best.

Oh and here’s a non-AMP link for anyone who wants it: [https://news.sky.com/story/steven-ling-man-who-admitted-rape-and-murder-of-woman-he-stabbed-60-times-should-be-freed-parole-board-says-13211950](https://news.sky.com/story/steven-ling-man-who-admitted-rape-and-murder-of-woman-he-stabbed-60-times-should-be-freed-parole-board-says-13211950)

Freedom isn’t for everybody. If someone decides they don’t want it and would rather be shunned from society, let them live their dream in solitude for the rest of their miserable lives

I’m all in favour of progressive prison policies and all that.

But i look at this guy and i can’t believe he should be out

There is only one fitting punishment for what he did. He shouldn’t be alive today to be freed. A justice system that can’t deliver this can’t deliver justice at all.

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The absolute fucking second you “stab someone during sex” it becomes rape. Hard to believe she was consenting as he murdered her.

Here is the thing – he very may well not be a danger to society. He was 23 at the time of the murder, and its perfectly plausable he has changed in that time.

Personally, this is why I think arguements that the purpose of prison is purely rehabillitation with no punitive aspect fall flat. It doesn’t matter if he has changed, it is unjust that he is being released before he is properly elderly. He *should* have to sit out most of his life, and being in his 40s feels too young to be out for this type of crime. I don’t support the death penalty because of the chance of mistakes and a general sense of unease about giving the state the power of life and death over people who aren’t actively posing a threat. But that doesn’t mean I support having sexually motivated murders eating at the same pub as with me and my family.

The parole board are pretty good at their job. Less than 1% of parolees go on to commit serious crimes. 

The board have good evidence of his remorse and safety, under the law of this land he should go free. 

We are a nation of laws and it is important we remain one.

Increasing the number of whole life tariffs would include a lot of new prison spaces, costing a lot of money, for very little social benefit. Very few crimes would be avoided, and it’s simply pointless when crime prevention initiatives are starved of funds.