Quebec, Canada
June 2023
Paul Bernardo was sent to the lower security facility last week, igniting outrage across the country.
Bernardo committed a series of sex crimes, rapes and murders in Canada in the late 1980s and 1990s.
In 1995, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for at least 25 years.
Bernardo, 58, was handed the life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing two schoolgirls - Leslie Mahaffy, 14, and Kristen French, 15. He was also found guilty of the manslaughter and rape of his sister-in-law, 15-year-old Tammy Homolka.
It is unclear why the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) decided to transfer Bernardo from Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security prison in Ontario, to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security-prison in [Montreal] Quebec.
The federal agency released a statement on Monday acknowledging the crimes as horrific, but failed to outline the reasons for the transfer.
"We are restricted by law in what we can divulge about an offender's case," the statement said.
"We regret any pain and concern this has caused."
The decision was met with intense backlash from many Canadians.
"(Bernardo) should rot in a maximum-security prison for the rest of his miserable existence," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a statement.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the Globe and Mail that he was "profoundly concerned and shocked by this decision", and said he had expressed that to the federal corrections commissioner.
Bernardo was aided in his crimes by his wife Karla Homolka during the 90s. The media dubbed the duo the "Ken & Barbie killers" because of their looks.
Between 1987-1992, Bernardo raped or sexually assaulted at least 18 women, and killed three others, according to Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General.
The CSC has emphasised that Bernardo remains incarcerated in a secure and controlled institution, and is taking the necessary precautions to protect public security.
Source
Toronto, Ontario
June 2023
Politicians from all parties and levels of government have decried Bernardo’s transfer from a maximum-security penitentiary to a medium-security prison in Quebec,saying the heinousness of his crimes means he is undeserving of the leniency offered in a less restrictive institution.
News of the transfer was confirmed publicly last Friday, as the lawyer for the families of two of his victims, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, requested he be returned to maximum security.
Bernardo was convicted of the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of both teenage girls in the early 1990s. He was also convicted of manslaughter in the death of Tammy Homolka, who died after being drugged and sexually assaulted. Tammy was the 15-year-old sister of Bernardo’s then-wife Karla Homolka.
Karla Homolka was released in 2005 after completing a 12-year sentence for her role in the crimes committed against French and Mahaffy.
Bernardo admitted to sexually assaulting 14 other women. He has been declared a dangerous offender and is serving a life sentence.
He has spent the past 30 years under maximum security, which Campbell said is a long time for any offender.
And while she understands why people want to see him kept there, she said the criteria for transferring an inmate to another penitentiary “is not based on revenge.”
After the news broke, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he thought Bernardo should be locked up for “23 hours a day,” while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to enact changes that would force those who are convicted of multiple murders to serve their entire sentence in maximum security.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has said Canadians are owed an explanation as to why Bernardo was transferred.
Tim Danson, the lawyer representing the French and Mahaffy families, said he was not given the information because of Bernardo’s privacy rights.
Source
June 2023
Paul Bernardo was sent to the lower security facility last week, igniting outrage across the country.
Bernardo committed a series of sex crimes, rapes and murders in Canada in the late 1980s and 1990s.
In 1995, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for at least 25 years.
Bernardo, 58, was handed the life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing two schoolgirls - Leslie Mahaffy, 14, and Kristen French, 15. He was also found guilty of the manslaughter and rape of his sister-in-law, 15-year-old Tammy Homolka.
It is unclear why the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) decided to transfer Bernardo from Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security prison in Ontario, to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security-prison in [Montreal] Quebec.
The federal agency released a statement on Monday acknowledging the crimes as horrific, but failed to outline the reasons for the transfer.
"We are restricted by law in what we can divulge about an offender's case," the statement said.
"We regret any pain and concern this has caused."
The decision was met with intense backlash from many Canadians.
"(Bernardo) should rot in a maximum-security prison for the rest of his miserable existence," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a statement.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the Globe and Mail that he was "profoundly concerned and shocked by this decision", and said he had expressed that to the federal corrections commissioner.
Bernardo was aided in his crimes by his wife Karla Homolka during the 90s. The media dubbed the duo the "Ken & Barbie killers" because of their looks.
Between 1987-1992, Bernardo raped or sexually assaulted at least 18 women, and killed three others, according to Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General.
The CSC has emphasised that Bernardo remains incarcerated in a secure and controlled institution, and is taking the necessary precautions to protect public security.
Source
Toronto, Ontario
June 2023
Politicians from all parties and levels of government have decried Bernardo’s transfer from a maximum-security penitentiary to a medium-security prison in Quebec,saying the heinousness of his crimes means he is undeserving of the leniency offered in a less restrictive institution.
News of the transfer was confirmed publicly last Friday, as the lawyer for the families of two of his victims, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, requested he be returned to maximum security.
Bernardo was convicted of the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of both teenage girls in the early 1990s. He was also convicted of manslaughter in the death of Tammy Homolka, who died after being drugged and sexually assaulted. Tammy was the 15-year-old sister of Bernardo’s then-wife Karla Homolka.
Karla Homolka was released in 2005 after completing a 12-year sentence for her role in the crimes committed against French and Mahaffy.
Bernardo admitted to sexually assaulting 14 other women. He has been declared a dangerous offender and is serving a life sentence.
He has spent the past 30 years under maximum security, which Campbell said is a long time for any offender.
And while she understands why people want to see him kept there, she said the criteria for transferring an inmate to another penitentiary “is not based on revenge.”
After the news broke, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he thought Bernardo should be locked up for “23 hours a day,” while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to enact changes that would force those who are convicted of multiple murders to serve their entire sentence in maximum security.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has said Canadians are owed an explanation as to why Bernardo was transferred.
Tim Danson, the lawyer representing the French and Mahaffy families, said he was not given the information because of Bernardo’s privacy rights.
Source
