Arbeit macht frei: - Fredrick Töben

Earley was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in August 1990
for the murder of Mark Charles Scott a year earlier. Earley was on parole
at the time of the murder.
Earley shot Mark Scott with a shotgun, hitting him in the chest at close
range.
Earley had been with a female friend of his sister at the Old Spot Hotel
where they had consumed alcohol and marijuana before returning to his
friend’s house. Mark Scott then came to the house demanding entry, and
upon entering the lounge, he approached Earley who picked up a shotgun
and fired it at him.
Earley’s first court appearance was at the age of 17, when he was convicted
of building break and felony. His offending continued until 1989 when he
was charged with murder, with a court appearance recorded almost every
year for such offences as break-ins, drug possession, property damage,
larceny, driving matters and a number of assaults.
On February 28, 1991, the Hon Justice Millhouse sentenced Earley to life
imprisonment and fixed a non-parole period of 18 years.
As a consequence of an assault against another prisoner in July 1991,
Earley’s non-parole period was extended by four years to 22 years.
However, with the Truth in Sentencing legislation introduced in August
1994, Earley’s non-parole period was automatically adjusted to 14 years, 8
months.
‘Executive Council recommended refusal of parole in the public interest.
‘This Government is the first that refuses to rubber stamp Parole Board
recommendations for release.
‘We will continue to consider each on its merits,’ Mr Rann said.
Other offenders to be refused parole include murderers Stephen Wayne
McBride, Steven Alexander Eger, and Anthony James Brady.
http://www.ministers.sa.gov.au/news.php?id=1027
Murder is murder and a sentence imposed is a sentence imposed by a
judge, and that should stand and not be subjected to political opportunism
and popular sloganeering: ‘tough on crime’! After reading about a ‘Nameless
drifter in South East grave’ in September I considered calling this book
‘Boundary rider, where is Bluey?’ because at CTC Gary Lewis raked the
prison farm’s boundary roads with his green tractor so that any possible
escape attempts left evidence in the sand.
What may surprise some readers is that among prisoners there is a moral
code to which adherence is obligatory – a sense of justice. Most prisoners
accept having broken the law carries with it some form of punishment. This
innate sense of justice also needs to be fulfilled, especially after having done
your time.
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