Shocked reactions followed the escape of a convicted murderer from William Head Institution, a minimum‑security prison on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Many asked how a person serving a life sentence for second‑degree murder could be housed in a low‑security setting. The case involved 69‑year‑old Ernest Jensen, who had been serving a life sentence since 1991. Jensen was reported missing from William Head and found dead days later in waters off Metchosin, not far from the institution.
“Jail isn’t meant to be just purely retribution. It’s not meant to be this inhumane experience. To keep somebody who doesn’t need to be kept in strict conditions, under those conditions, would be contrary to the principles of fundamental justice.”
