"Absolutely Nothing Has Changed": Victims' Families on Paul Bernardo's Prison Transfer, CBC The National, 2023

Name: "Absolutely Nothing Has Changed": Victims' Families on Paul Bernardo's Prison Transfer, CBC The National, 2023
Uploaded: 2023-06-10T00:00:00Z
Duration: 2 min 14 s
Description: After Paul Bernardo was moved to a medium-security prison in May 2023, CBC's The National heard the mother of another killer's victim, the families' lawyer and the federal victims' ombudsperson on why victims are not consulted on such transfers. Bernardo is not heard.

After Paul Bernardo was moved to a medium-security prison in May 2023, CBC's The National heard the mother of another killer's victim, the families' lawyer and the federal victims' ombudsperson on why victims are not consulted on such transfers. Bernardo is not heard.

Subject: Paul Kenneth Bernardo
Recorded: about June 2023
Runtime: 2:14

Content warning: Refers to murders and to Bernardo's crimes in general terms; no graphic detail.

The Report

This is a 2-minute-14-second report from CBC News: The National by Ottawa reporter Ashley Burke, posted on the program's channel on June 10, 2023. It followed Paul Bernardo's transfer from a maximum-security to a medium-security prison and asks why victims are not told of such moves in advance. Judy Crocker, whose daughter was killed by another man, the families' lawyer Tim Danson and the federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime are heard. Bernardo is not heard.

Historical Context

Paul Bernardo was convicted on September 1, 1995, of the first-degree murders of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy and related offenses, sentenced to life with no parole eligibility for 25 years, and designated a dangerous offender. He was held for about a decade at Millhaven Institution in Ontario, and was denied parole in 2018 and 2021.

Circumstances

On May 29, 2023, Correctional Service Canada moved Bernardo to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security prison in Quebec. The families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy learned of the move the day it happened. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino called the decision "shocking and incomprehensible," and Correctional Service Canada announced a review; on July 20, 2023, its commissioner said the review had found the decision sound.

What the Report Covers

Judy Crocker says she is angry because "there's more emphasis on the criminals' rights than there are on the victims' rights." The reporter explains that a decade earlier the man who murdered Crocker's daughter, Julie, had been quietly moved to medium security and that Crocker learned of it afterwards; Crocker says that ten years later "absolutely nothing has changed." The families' lawyer says, "the timing is so that nobody can do anything about it." The ombudsperson calls for victims to be given the chance to share their concerns before all transfers. The reporter notes that victims may get advance notice of a move to minimum security but not to medium security, and Mary Campbell (named in CBC's on-screen strap as of Jackson, Wyoming) says the two levels have identical perimeter security and differ in daily life inside. Crocker says people convicted of murder should serve their sentence "in a maximum for the rest of your life." The report ends by saying the minister was waiting for the review before acting.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report records the victims' side of the 2023 Bernardo transfer controversy and links it to an earlier case and to a standing recommendation for legislative change.

Important Caveats

Bernardo is not heard. **Julie Crocker was not a victim of Bernardo:** she was murdered in 2007 by her estranged husband, who was convicted in 2009 of two first-degree murders (CBC). Page copy must make this clear. The YouTube title says the families of Bernardo's victims call for the change; in the video the call is voiced by Crocker and the ombudsperson, and the Bernardo families speak only through their lawyer's single sentence. The ombudsperson and the lawyer are not named aloud; they are identified from CBC's web reporting. The speaker on security levels is not named aloud; CBC's on-screen strap (frame at 01:27) reads "Mary Campbell, Jackson, Wyoming", with a further line partly hidden behind the strap.

Ashley Burke: For Judy Crocker, news of Paul Bernardo's transfer to a medium security prison hit home.

Judy Crocker: I'm angry about it, because I think there's more emphasis on the criminals' rights than there are on the victims' rights.

Ashley Burke: A decade ago, the man who murdered her daughter, Julie, was quietly transferred to a medium security facility. She only found out afterwards. Crocker called for change so it wouldn't happen to other families, too.

Judy Crocker: I realized 10 years later, absolutely nothing has changed. And all I could think of was that the poor families, I mean, they were in real shock. And, uh, and you could feel, uh, you know, the despair and the anguish.

Ashley Burke: The lawyer representing the families of Bernardo's victims says they only found out about his transfer the day it happened.

Tim Danson: Clearly, the timing is so that nobody can do anything about it.

Ashley Burke: The victims of crime ombudsperson says it's a systemic problem, and his office has recommended legislative change for a decade.

Benjamin Roebuck: We'd like to see in all cases of transfers that victims in advance are provided the opportunity to share their concerns.

Ashley Burke: Right now, victims may get advance notice if an offender is being transferred to a minimum security institution. The same isn't true for a medium security prison. Some say it's because there's no change in risk to the public.

Mary Campbell: Maximum and medium security are identical in terms of perimeter security, in terms of anyone trying to escape. The difference between max and medium is in the internal daily life. You have a bit more freedom of movement.

Judy Crocker: This is a picture of Julie, who is in the middle.

Ashley Burke: Crocker said her daughter's killer should have never been moved, and she would have tried to stop it if she knew in advance.

Judy Crocker: To me, if you're convicted of, uh, murders or any other heinous crimes, I believe that you should serve your sentence in a maximum for the rest of your life.

Ashley Burke: The Minister of Public Safety has said that he's waiting for the review into Bernardo's transfer to be complete before considering taking action. Ashley Burke, CBC News, Ottawa. [02:12: speech ends; clip runs to 02:14.] ---