Serial killer Paul Bernardo will not be moved back to a Millhaven Institution, a maximum security prison. The decision from the review committee was released today (Thurs). Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada, Anne Kelly, says in a statement that all of the registered victims were contacted prior to making the announcement. She acknowledges how difficult this must be for them. Kelly emphasizes that at any point, an inmate can be returned to a higher security level, if deemed necessary, to ensure safety.
Bernardo’s sentence began in September of 1995. The review points out that his security classification was reviewed 14 times between 1999 and 2022 and each time he met the criteria for medium classification, but continued in maximum security until the most recent decision. He is housed behind a secure, controlled perimeter and his movements and associations are regulated an monitors. The Quebec prison also has a Sex Offender Maintenance Program.
Kelly’s statement says this decision does not mean he will systematically continue to cascade down through the system. He is still assessed as a high risk to the safety of the public, and he continues to hold a Dangerous Offender designation which was imposed by the court.
Background from the report: “BERNARDO is serving a life sentence as a Dangerous Offender for First Degree Murder (x2), Kidnap – Unlawfully Confine (x2), Aggravated Sexual Assault (x2), and Indignity to a Dead Body. The index offences relate to the abduction, sexual assaults, and murders of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy. There were several other offences that were stayed in this case; such offences were tied to the death of Tammy Homolka, the sexual assaults of “Jane Doe,” and the sexual assaults tied to the “Scarborough Rapist” case. The offender’s sentence commenced in 1995-09-01; he has passed his parole eligibility dates and has been denied parole on two occasions. He is identified as a High Profile offender, meaning he is “an offender whose offence dynamics elicited or have a potential to elicit a community reaction in the form of significant public and/or media interest” as per CD-701.”
