July 2026

@ctvnewsvi

Reactions of shock after a convicted murderer escaped from William Head Institution, a minimum-security prison located along the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Many comments asking how or why a convicted murder would be held in a minimum-security prison. CTV News asked Acumen Law lawyer, Kyla Lee to explain how 69-year-old Ernest Jensen may have ended up a prisoner at William Head Institution. Ernest Jensen was reported missing from William Head Institution where he had been serving a life sentence for second-degree murder since 1991. He was found dead days later in the waters off Metchosin, not far from the institution. Vancouver-based criminal defence lawyer Kyla Lee says the public reaction is common following escapes from lower security institutions, but the classification process is more complex than many realize. Lee said inmates can be reclassified over time based on behaviour, programming and risk assessments, even if they were originally convicted of serious violent offences. @kylaleelawyer #fyp #victoriabc #victoriabcnews #vancouverislandnews #bcnews #victoriabccanada #ctvnewsvancouverisland #vancouverisland #vancouverislandbc #sooke #metchosin #saanichbc #lawyers #canada #correctionalservice #correctionalservicecanada

♬ original sound – CTV News Vancouver Island – CTV News Vancouver Island