Nerland's request for parole denied

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Carney Nerland, an Aryan Nations leader serving a four-year manslaughter sentence for the shooting death of Cree trapper Leo LaChance, has been denied parole.

Nerland shot LaChance as the 48-year-old man left Nerland's gun shop in Prince Albert. Jan. 28, 1991. On April 10 of that year, he was sentenced to the four-year term

he is serving at Stoney Mountain federal penitentiary in Manitoba.

Prisoners are eligible to apply for day parole (returning to prison at night) after one-sixth of their sentence has been served. They can apply for full parole after one-third has been served; most are released on mandatory supervision after two-thirds has been served and remission earned.

Nerland appeared before the National Parole Board at the prison in late July, asking for full parole in August. His application was denied.

Norm Fagnou, regional director of the parole board, explained the criteria for release on parole. Because of the Privacy Act, he cannot comment on Nerland's case.

Fagou said a 'snapshot' of each offender is obtained when the prisoner enters the penitentiary system. Violent offenders are given a psychological and psychiatric assessment. The profile built upon each prisoner includes background, criminal record, lifestyle, attitudes, values, history of incarceration, violence in the background, community status, whether alcohol and/or drug abuse are factors in the crime, temper control and employment history.

On applying for parole, the prisoner submits a plan indicating what he will do on release.

When the parole board considers the case, their concern is how the prisoner has changed since his entry into prison. His current situation is compared to the 'snapshot' compiled at the beginning of his sentence.

The board wants to know what programming the prisoner has taken to deal with the factors that led to the crime and they want to know if the prisoner understands how his behavior led to the crime. Does he understand what has to change so he will not commit another crime?

Gang membership does not help the prisoner's case.

Elders, ministers and priests, prison instructors and police can make submissions

if they have something to contribute to the decision-making process.

The parole board decides how great a risk to the community a particular prisoner is. If there is undue risk, the parole is denied. If there has been sufficient change, the prisoner can be released on parole and be supervised by a parole officer while living in the community.

Nerland is eligible for mandatory supervision in December, 1993.

Meanwhile, a bill designed to force Nerland to return to Prince Albert to attend the inquiry into the shooting appears to be stuck in the Saskatchewan legislature.

A public outcry forced an inquiry into the circumstances of LaChance's death and the way the police, prosecution and the court handled the case, along with the activities of the Aryan Nations and the Ku Klux Klan in Saskatchewan.

Nerland has refused to return to Saskatchewan voluntarily to testify at the hearings. A change in provincial legislation is necessary to return him to his home province from Manitoba.

Justice Minister Bob Mitchell asked for the bill which has had one reading of the necessary three. However, the committee which should now be studying the bill has never been called by the NDP government, which took power last fall.

All provincial committees have been suspended while the legislature deals with legislation now before it.