Friday, March 10, 2006

Inmate Who Became a Priest Is Paroled by Gov. - Los Angeles Times

Inmate Who Became a Priest Is Paroled by Gov. - Los Angeles Times:
The freeing of convicted murderer James Tramel is a turnabout for Schwarzenegger.
By Steve Chawkins, Times Staff Writer
March 10, 2006


"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to parole James Tramel, a convicted murderer who was ordained an Episcopal priest in prison, a spokeswoman for the governor said Thursday.

In declining to review Tramel's case, the governor is letting stand an October 2005 decision by the state parole board to free the 38-year-old inmate, said Julie Soderlund, a Schwarzenegger aide.

The action is a turnabout for the governor, who last year rejected the board's 2004 decision to release Tramel...."
Rehabilitation is not an exact science, but I suspect that this is a case where parole is justifed.

I blogged about this ealier this week in a posting titled "Serving God -- and Time", which refered to a Los Angeles Times article of the same name. At the time it seemed that Governor Schwarzenegger was not inclined to view Tramel's case with any sympathy, but apparently the letters on the Rev. Tramel's behalf helped, along with the articles telling the story of his journey while behind bars.

The Rev. Tramel has a position waiting for him at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Berkeley, the Episcopal congregation who supported him during his quest to serve God in prison.

Technorati tags: , ,

No comments: