Serving Time

"The conviction of murder and ultimate sentence does not come with a 'get out of jail free' clause. This is the consequence when a person takes the life of another human being ... the concepts of guilt, remorse, responsibility and accountability should not be significantly set aside at the discretion of a Parole Board"
Sharon Rosenfeldt, spokeswoman, Victims of Violence

At the age of 21 in 2002, Alvin Starblanket who grew up at the Sturgeon Lake First Nation - hard by the front gates of Saskatchewan Penitentiary - had been released from imprisonment for two weeks when he met a pastor at St.George Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Prince Alberta, Saskatchewan. Pastor John Kratko, 61, was found in a riverside park, unconscious. He had been savagely beaten by Alvin Starblanket, and died two weeks later. Mr. Starblanket testified at his trial that the priest had made a sexual advance.

Before that 2002 release, he had distinguished himself in prison by setting fires, threatening staff, and stabbing another inmate. And then, in June, 2002, he became eligible for mandatory release. He had served two years of his then-sentence. At that time, though his case management team urged he be placed in a halfway house, the Parole Board saw fit to freely discharge him with a warning to maintain a distance from gang members.

After killing Pastor Kratko, he further demonstrated his contempt for human life when a year into his prison term for manslaughter he stabbed a fellow inmate at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary no fewer than 187 times with the aid of a thin metal rod. In the following years he has further brought attention to himself by a variety of disciplinary charges in prison. Nine in the last two years. But the National Parole Board has viewed him with compassion, judging that the now-31-year-old should be given a day leave under tough conditions to visit a relative dying in hospital.

"Your involvement in the compassionate [leave] may positively impact this dimension of your life and contribute to future pro-social behaviour", the parole board in their wisdom adjudged. They were of the opinion that this move would assist in repairing the sundered "level of connectivity" with his extended family. As a maximum security inmate, Mr. Starblanket's temporary day-release would be accompanied by two types of restraints and he would be accompanied with armed uniformed escorts.

Understandably the congregation of St.George Church is in "shock" at this turn of events. Mr. Starblanket was imprisoned to serve time for a manslaughter conviction in the death of Mr. Kratko, as well as a second-degree murder charge for the killing of Aime Simard while in prison. He will be eligible for full parole in 2021. Still a relatively young man. And presumably retaining his violently aggressive streak.

2021 is soon enough.