Bacon brother released into halfway house
But gangster says his life will be at risk in new setting
B.C. gangster Jarrod Bacon told a parole board he feared that he would be killed if forced to live in a halfway house after his release from prison last month.
But a Quebec parole board member still decided Bacon must stay in a community residential facility for the safety of the public, according to documents obtained by Postmedia.
“You believe a residency condition will put you at risk to be killed, just like the others residing in a transition home that are easy to locate,” board member Michel Lalonde said.
Bacon raised the murder of his elder brother Jonathan in Kelowna in 2011 as proof he could be targeted. But Lalonde wasn’t buying it. “You are not the first one with that type of criminal background called to face the issue. It is obviously a stressful situation. However, this is the direct result of choices you made in your life and you are the only one responsible for it,” Lalonde said. “It is not for every law-abiding citizen in this society to bear this part of the risk associated to your release in the community.”
Jarrod Bacon was convicted in 2012 of conspiracy to traffic cocaine after being caught in a sting by undercover police. He was sentenced to 14 years, minus time served, for a net term of seven years, two months.
He reached his statutory release date in February after serving twothirds of his sentence. That is the point at which almost all inmates get released.
But in Bacon’s case, the Correctional Service of Canada recommended that the parole board impose the special condition that he reside in a halfway house. Lalonde agreed. “Considering your criminal background and given your involvement in violent acts within the context of a criminal gang, this condition will remain in force until the end of your sentence,” he said.
Lalonde said Bacon’s file indicated that he is “a member of the Red Scorpions and the Bacon brothers and described as having considerable influence on the gang environment in British Columbia. Links to the Hells Angels are also reported.”
He noted that Bacon was moved to a prison away from B.C. because he was a “high-profile” prisoner.
Bacon maintained those criminal connections while serving his sentence, Lalonde said.
“You maintained connections with inmates affiliated with the HA and/or were involved in illicit activities. You explained that you simply and naturally connected with English-speaking inmates.”
He also mentioned “a serious event” in prison in December 2015 between the HA and a group called “the Jamaicans.”
“You were seen partaking in a discussion with members and associates of the HA,” Lalonde said. “Your potential for violence was also highlighted following an altercation with another prisoner in 2012. Your opponent suffered significant facial injuries and had to be hospitalized.”
On the positive side, Bacon had taken courses aimed at reducing his risk to reoffend, the ruling said. He studied French and first aid and had a prison job.
Lalonde noted that “you plan on keeping your distance from your former lifestyle, namely by starting a new life in (name blanked out).”
“Your parents wish to support you emotionally and financially.”
Several names and locations were redacted in the documents provided to Postmedia.
Last year, two other parole board members reviewed Bacon’s file and denied him early release.
At the time, he said he didn’t want an in-person hearing that “could attract media attention.”
Bacon was raised in Abbotsford by his parents David and Susan, with his younger brother Jamie and his late brother Jonathan.
In April 2009, Jamie was charged with conspiracy and first-degree murder in the Surrey Six slayings — the October 2007 gangland slaughter that left six dead, including two bystanders.
Jamie Bacon’s trial has been delayed several times and is now scheduled to start next year.
Jonathan Bacon was shot to death in Kelowna in August 2011. His alleged killers go on trial starting May 1.