The Canadian Correctional Service is defending Paul Bernardo’s privacy after the public safety minister said they should be excused.
Marco Mendicino says Canadians deserve to know why rapists and serial killers were moved from maximum security to medium security.
The independent federal correctional agency, which is considering the transfer after widespread backlash, said in a statement earlier this week that while it understood Canadians wanted answers, they were “limited by law”. limited” in what they could say.
What prison authorities are allowed to disclose, including to victims, is outlined in the law governing corrections and in the federal Privacy Act.
Federal correctional agency spokesman Kevin Antonucci said in a statement today that under privacy law, the agency cannot release prisoners’ personal information without their consent, except in specific cases.”
It said considerations include the sensitivity of the information as well as the possibility and extent of “vulnerability related to the benefit of disclosure to the public.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 9, 2023.
