It is impossible to imagine the intense pain and anger the family and friends of Steven Donaldson must be feeling right now.
The news that Tasmin Glass has been granted parole, after serving only half of the 10-year prison sentence imposed on her for the role she played in Steven’s brutal murder, will cause renewed anguish for his grieving loved ones.
It is a decision that might make sense to the parole board, but the rest of us are left wondering how spending a mere five years in prison after being convicted of culpable homicide can be any justice at all.
And what message does it send to those who knew and loved Steven Donaldson?
The Arbroath oil worker was just twenty-seven when he was murdered by Steven Dickie and Callum Davidson, in an attack that the judge said Tasmin Glass played a “key role” in orchestrating.
His life was cut short in the most callous way. Steven Donaldson should have had many decades of life ahead of him: space and time in which to make memories and mark milestones.
Five years is a drop in the ocean compared to the time that was stolen from him and his family.
It is an insult.
Speaking to The Courier in February, Steven’s sister, Lori, raised concerns about the possibility of Glass being released early. A possibility which has now become a grim reality.
“It is extremely disheartening and difficult to even consider that the one person who orchestrated this can be released from prison this soon and can go on to live her life in the community regardless of her actions,” she said.
“This is a person who denied any involvement in Steven’s death, showing absolutely no remorse for her actions.”
Prison can be a place for rehabilitation. But, especially for those convicted of the most serious crimes, it must also be a place where prisoners serve a period of punishment that accurately reflects the heinous nature of their crimes.
It must act as a proper deterrent against those evil acts which are so contrary to the values and ideals of any civilised society.
Secret parole hearings undermine trust
There isn’t a parent, brother, sister or friend in Scotland who would be content to see somebody who played a pivotal role in the murder of their loved one serve only five years in prison for their crime.
Victims of crime must be at the heart of our justice system. For too long, they have felt as though their interests, and their pain, has not been given the consideration it deserves.
The Courier’s A Voice for Victims campaign seeks to re-address that balance.
The campaign calls for reforms to the parole hearings system that would amplify victim’s voices and put them and their families first.
Crucially, it calls upon the Scottish Government to reconsider automatic parole hearings for prisoners who have been convicted of the most serious crimes, for the simple reason that, “a judge’s decision to jail a criminal for 10 years should not be automatically reconsidered, in private, after five.”
The lack of transparency in parole hearing decision making processes undermines trust in a system that – at its heart – should be about the safety of the public and the dignity and wellbeing of victims and their families.
The conditions imposed upon Glass upon her release, namely that she must not enter Angus or Dundee, or attempt to contact or approach the Donaldson family, won’t provide any comfort or reassurance to those most affected by her crime.
They have been let down by a system that they should have been able to rely upon to promote fairness and justice.
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