Paul Bernardo transfer to medium-security prison was ‘sound’: review
Notorious serial killer and rapist Paul Bernardo will stay in a medium-security prison as the decision to transfer one of Canada’s most infamous murderers was “sound,” the head of Correctional Service Canada says.
Anne Kelly, commissioner of Correctional Service Canada, presented the results of a review into the controversial prison transfer Thursday, which found that while CSC followed protocol, it must strengthen how it communicates with victims’ families when moving high-profile criminals.
“The review committee concluded that the decisions to reclassify Paul Bernardo to medium and transfer him to La Macaza were sound, and followed all applicable laws and policies,” Kelly said in a statement.
“I want to be clear that, at any point, an inmate can be returned to a higher security level, if deemed necessary, to ensure the safety of the public or our institutions.”
Bernardo’s transfer to the Quebec prison in May set off a firestorm across the country, and engulfed the Liberal government in controversy.
Bernardo, 58, has been serving a life sentence for the kidnappings, tortures and murders of teenagers Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s. He and his then-wife Karla Homolka also killed her younger sister, Tammy Homolka.
Bernardo had been living out his sentence in maximum-security prisons until now. CSC launched a review of the decision in June amid public outcry.
According to that review, Bernardo applied for transfer to La Macaza in November 2022. He had applied earlier in the year to move to Bath Institution in Ontario, but was rejected. If Bernardo was to be moved to a medium-security prison, he would have to be placed “at a more structured medium security environment with greater restrictions on
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