Paul Bernardo and how federal corrections handles dangerous offenders

Guest: Tony Doob, professor emeritus, University of Toronto Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies

News that Paul Bernardo, one of Canada’s most notorious killers, has been moved from a maximum security penitentiary to a medium-security institution touched a raw nerve that hasn’t healed three decades after his crimes. How could one believed to be so evil have his experience in incarceration softened? Why was the reason shrouded in secrecy? Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is undergoing a review of their decision but, as a criminologist tells us, Canadian law does not say we should hold our worst offenders indefinitely in maximum security because they are notorious to us.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.

Audio Sources: CHCH News, CPAC