One of the architects of the law that governs Canada害羞草研究所檚 prison system says it害羞草研究所檚 understandable people want revenge on killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo, but that害羞草研究所檚 not what the prison system is designed for.
Mary Campbell also says it is regrettable the Correctional Service of Canada has not been more transparent in how it handled the matter 害羞草研究所� which the law allows it to be.
Campbell, a lawyer who retired from her role as director-general of the corrections and criminal justice directorate in the Public Safety Department in 2013, said that without question Bernardo害羞草研究所檚 crimes were horrific.
Broadly speaking, the corrections system has a mandate to rehabilitate offenders.
Politicians from all parties and levels of government have decried Bernardo害羞草研究所檚 transfer from a maximum-security penitentiary to a medium-security prison in Quebec.
News of the transfer was confirmed last week by the lawyer for the families of two of his victims, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, who want him sent back.
Both teenage girls were kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered by Bernardo 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害羞草研究所檚 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.
Bernardo has spent 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 害羞草研究所渋s not based on revenge.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淲e, as a country, gave up torture quite a while ago, 害羞草研究所� she said in an interview Tuesday (June 6). 害羞草研究所淎nd we害羞草研究所檙e pretty critical of other countries that engage in torture.害羞草研究所�
After the news broke, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he thinks Bernardo should be locked up for 害羞草研究所�23 hours a day,害羞草研究所� while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau害羞草研究所檚 government to enact changes that would force those who are convicted of multiple murders to serve their entire sentence in maximum security.
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The correctional service is reviewing the decision to transfer Bernardo. Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, inmates are given security classifications based on factors including escape risk, which inform where they serve their sentences.
In the case of Bernardo, who is now in his late 50s, the correctional service says a move to a medium-security prison poses no risk to public safety.
The reason behind his transfer, however, is a mystery, with the federal correctional service saying it is 害羞草研究所渞estricted by law害羞草研究所� in what it can divulge.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino 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害羞草研究所檚 privacy rights.
Campbell said the law spells out that the commissioner of the country害羞草研究所檚 prison system has the power to disclose to victims a summary of the reasons for the transfer of a particular offender, in cases where it is determined their interest outweighs any invasion of the offender害羞草研究所檚 privacy.
She said the commissioner can also choose to release information under the federal privacy law in cases where they determine the public害羞草研究所檚 right to know overrides an inmate害羞草研究所檚 privacy.
害羞草研究所淲hen (the Correctional Service of Canada) says they can害羞草研究所檛 release details because of the law, that害羞草研究所檚 not entirely accurate,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭here are exceptions.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚t is unfortunate that CSC maybe hasn害羞草研究所檛 been a little bit more transparent, explaining things.害羞草研究所�
She added that there are more than 20,000 other people serving a sentence in Canadian prisons and jails, and the rules have been designed to apply broadly.
Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press
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