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A report from the the Correctional Service of Canada presents new particulars of Paul Bernardo’s life behind bars — and what led to the controversial choice to switch one among Canada’s most notorious killers to a medium safety jail.
Anne Kelly, head of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), launched a evaluation committee’s report this week detailing the jail switch that sparked widespread public outrage.
The evaluation concluded that CSC adopted the principles in transferring Bernardo however mentioned extra might have been accomplished for the victims’ households, who felt shocked and betrayed by the transfer. A lawyer for the households continues to name for Bernardo to be despatched again to most safety.
Bernardo, a chosen harmful offender, is serving a life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy within the early Nineteen Nineties. He was additionally discovered responsible of the manslaughter and sexual assault of his 15-year-old sister-in-law Tammy Homolka.
Kristen French was 15 and Leslie Mahaffy was 14 when Paul Bernardo kidnapped, tortured and killed them. (Handout/The Canadian Press)
Canada’s privateness commissioner weighed the general public’s curiosity in opposition to Bernardo’s privateness rights and, in a uncommon transfer, allowed the discharge of latest private details about his case.
Here is what the 85-page report reveals about Bernardo’s 28 years in jail.
Advice for medium-security overridden for 23 years
Bernardo’s safety stage was assessed 14 instances between 1999 and 2022. One of many instruments the corrections system makes use of to find out if an inmate is in the appropriate jail is the “safety reclassification scale.”
Since 1999, that scale produced a rating that really useful Bernardo be labeled as medium safety. That advice was overridden 13 instances over 23 years, holding Bernardo in a most safety jail.
The explanation given for sustaining Bernardo at most safety was his personal private security. Bernardo wanted “vital safety measures and restrictions on motion,” the evaluation committee’s report mentioned.
WATCH | Outrage over Paul Bernardo’s switch to medium safety jail
Outrage over Paul Bernardo’s switch to medium safety jail
Canada’s jail service is now reviewing its choice to maneuver infamous serial killer and rapist Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security jail to a medium safety facility. The switch has sparked outrage throughout Canada’s political panorama. Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the murders of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy within the early Nineteen Nineties.
The report mentioned Bernardo was thought-about an “inmate at risk” when he was first despatched to the Kingston Penitentiary in 1995 and he was involuntarily segregated for 18 years till the jail closed.
A closely redacted annex of Bernardo’s institutional chronology suggests he was the “sufferer” in a dozen incidents between 1995-2019.
He was labeled in jail as a “conformist.” Meaning he is “been the sufferer of tried and precise assaults however has not engaged in violence in opposition to different offenders or employees,” the report mentioned.
Unauthorized gadgets or contraband have been present in Bernardo’s cells 3 times over the many years.
In 1995, a razor blade was present in his cell whereas he was in solitary confinement within the Kingston Penitentiary. Fees had been laid and later withdrawn after a weapon was present in his cell in 2018 at Millhaven Establishment.
Bernardo instigated 9 incidents in jail
Data present Bernardo was the instigator in 9 incidents over the previous twenty years behind bars. He confronted 9 institutional prices and was discovered responsible 4 instances in 1999 for disobeying the principles.
A series on a segregation cell on the Kingston Penitentiary in Kingston, Ont. on Oct. 11, 2013. (Fred Thornhill/Reuters)
The incidents documented embrace a minor disturbance that prompted inmates to throw trays, making threats in 1998 and involvement in a confrontation between two offenders in 2006.
When Bernardo utilized for a jail switch final 12 months, his case administration staff mentioned that “he has remained incident-free for almost all of his sentence, with the final famous issues occurring 4 years in the past in December 2018, when he was belligerent with employees and refused to return to his cell,” the evaluation committee report mentioned.
Psychologist concluded problematic behaviours persist
The outcomes of Bernardo’s rating on the “Extreme Sexual Sadism Scale” — a screening gadget utilized by jail officers — are redacted from the evaluation committee’s report.
The report does say a psychologist concluded that Bernardo participated in “offence-related programming however continues to exhibit offence-related problematic attitudes and behaviours … He continues to current with wants in probably the most related domains.”
Paul Bernardo in a courtroom sketch made throughout Ontario court docket proceedings by way of video hyperlink in Napanee, Ont., on October 5, 2018. (Greg Banning/The Canadian Press)
The report cites a sequence of assessments carried out in 2023 that concluded Bernardo has “a number of responsivity points” and warned enhancements remained “intermittent.”
The report mentioned Bernardo confirmed a low potential for reintegration exterior the jail system and should not totally settle for duty for his actions. Different assessments discovered he was engaged in his correctional plan and his motivation was rated as “medium.”
A 2014 spousal danger evaluation discovered Bernardo was recognized as having a “excessive likelihood of danger for violence in direction of a companion and a reasonable danger of violence towards others.”
The important thing change that led to Bernardo being transferred to a medium-security jail occurred a 12 months in the past, the evaluation committee discovered. On July 20, 2022, Bernardo “totally built-in” on the jail vary with a bigger group of offenders, the report mentioned.
WATCH | Corrections Canada says guidelines had been adopted in Bernardo jail switch
Corrections Canada says guidelines had been adopted in Bernardo jail switch
The top of the Correctional Service of Canada, which runs the jail system, says the service adopted the principles across the jail switch of Paul Bernardo. The commissioner of the company mentioned Bernardo met the standards for the switch. Nonetheless, a evaluation committee mentioned extra might have been accomplished to inform his victims’ households.
He built-in with two teams of 28 offenders and 10 offenders, the report mentioned. That signifies that, for the primary time in his incarceration, he went to the yard with everybody from his vary, fairly than alone.
The committee’s report mentioned that no safety issues had been famous and when there have been assaults on the vary, Bernardo was not concerned.
Bernardo’s request for switch was rejected final 12 months
Bernardo requested in 2022 to be transferred to the close by medium-security Bathtub Establishment in Ontario. That request was rejected.
Bernardo was informed the jail wasn’t appropriate as a result of it did not have locking doorways, widespread washrooms had been all the time accessible to offenders and there have been a excessive variety of violent inmates, the evaluation committee discovered.
Bernardo additionally was informed he couldn’t be transferred to every other jail in Ontario due to how infamous his case is within the province.
He then set his sights on Quebec, placing in a request to be moved to La Macaza Establishment. The evaluation committee’s report mentioned that jail was deemed “suitable” as a result of it had prior to now “safely” held high-profile offenders serving time for sexual offences.
Guards received no warning of Bernardo’s switch
Victims’ households got a “heads up” the morning of Bernardo’s jail switch on Might 29. The switch was stored on a “must know” foundation, the evaluation committee’s report mentioned.
WATCH | Lawyer for French and Mahaffy households reacts to report on Bernardo switch
Lawyer for French and Mahaffy households reacts to report on Bernardo switch
Tim Danson, counsel for the French and Mahaffy households, is asking for adjustments to the legislation that allowed serial killer Paul Bernardo to be transferred to a medium safety jail.
“There was a heightened must be vigilant” as a result of Bernardo’s case is so infamous, the evaluation committee report mentioned.
To make sure the the “security and safety of the escort and the offender,” employees transporting Bernardo weren’t informed the id of the offender till the morning of the switch, the report mentioned. There have been additionally no stops on the best way to Quebec through the 4-hour-plus drive.
Threat of escape the identical at medium-security jail
Bernardo’s jail switch “doesn’t present Bernardo with any elevated entry to the group,” the evaluation committee’s report mentioned.
Identical to a maximum-security jail, La Macaza is surrounded by a excessive barbed wire fence and inmates’ actions are monitored by armed guards, the report mentioned. Kelly mentioned that inmates at La Macaza have the identical entry to guests, schooling and applications as inmates in most safety.
The La Macaza Establishment is positioned about 200 kilometres northwest of Montreal within the Laurentian Mountains. (Pascal Robidas/Radio-Canada)
The meals there is no higher both, Kelly mentioned. “The menu is identical whether or not you are at most, medium or minimal” she mentioned.
Consultants say Bernardo might spend extra time exterior of his cell at La Macaza and obtain specialised programming for sexual offenders.
Victims’ rights might enhance after Bernardo’s switch
The evaluation committee’s discovered there was nothing stopping the Correctional Service of Canada from sharing extra data with the victims’ households. It really useful putting a working committee to enhance practices on participating with victims and their family members.
The evaluation committee concluded that it hopes the Correctional Service of Canada displays on “victims concerns” together with “courtesy, compassion and respect.”‘
A brand new ministerial order launched Thursday can also be anticipated to enhance the probabilities of victims’ households being warned prematurely of a possible switch in order that they’ll replace their sufferer affect statements. It is a transfer the federal ombudsman for victims of crime has been calling for for the reason that workplace opened about 15 years in the past.
Learn the complete report right here:
Bernardo’s jail switch report presents uncommon insights into killer’s life behind bars
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