Results: Paul Bernardo Denied Parole Wednesday After 25 Years In Prison -- Should He have Been Granted Parole?

Paul Bernardo, whose very name became synonymous with sadistic sexual perversion, pleaded for release on Wednesday by arguing he has done what he could to improve himself during his 25 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement. His parole was denied. Designated a dangerous offender, Bernardo, 54, became eligible for parole in February but has so far not been allowed beyond the confines of his maximum security prison in eastern Ontario. "He's as horrified as you and I are at what he did," his lawyer said. "I expect that he will take full responsibility, express remorse, and he appears to be sincere in that." While isolation has limited available programming, Bernardo has made a "determined effort not to make up for what he's done — for that can never be done — but to improve himself" and has been of good behaviour in "very hard conditions" of confinement." Bernardo's crimes over several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, some of which he videotaped, sparked widespread terror and revulsion. Among them, Bernardo and his then-wife Karla Homolka kidnapped, tortured and killed Leslie Mahaffy, 14, of Burlington, Ont., in June 1991 at their home in Port Dalhousie, Ont., before dismembering her body, encasing her remains in cement and dumping them in a nearby lake. Dubbed the "Scarborough rapist," Bernardo also tortured and killed Kristen French, 15, of St. Catharines, Ont., in April 1992 after keeping her captive for three days. Bernardo was ultimately convicted in 1995 of the first-degree murders of the two teens and numerous sexual assaults. He was also responsible for the murder of his wife's sister, Tammy Homolka. He was given life without parole eligibility until he had served 25 years since his arrest in early 1993. So, the question is, should he have been considered for parole?