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Jarrod Bacon released to halfway house after serving prison sentence

Former Red Scorpion gangster from Abbotsford says he fears for his life
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Jarrod Bacon at a 2009 court appearance in Surrey. - Image Credit: Black Press file photo

Convicted gangster Jarrod Bacon expressed concerns earlier this year that being placed in a halfway house could put his life at risk.

But the Parole Board of Canada says the former Abbotsford man poses a “undue risk to society” and he requires the “intensive supervision” that such a residency requirement will meet.

Bacon, 33, left a Quebec prison last month on statutory release after being convicted in 2012 on a charge of conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

By law, most offenders (except those serving a life or indeterminate sentence) must be released from prison after serving two-thirds of their sentence, if parole has not already been granted.

The parole board determined that Bacon should be placed in a halfway house - the documents don’t indicate where – for the remainder of his sentence, rather than be monitored only by electronic surveillance, as he had requested.

Bacon said living in a halfway house would make it easy for former opponents to find and kill him.

“You are not the first one with that type of criminal background called to face the issue,” the parole board stated in its decision from mid-January. “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.”

In making its decision, the board detailed Bacon’s history, including his involvement with the Red Scorpions gang; his past use of drugs such as cocaine, pot, OxyContin and steroids; and his “potential for violence,” such as a 2012 altercation with another inmate which left his opponent hospitalized with “significant facial injuries.”

The board also states in the documents that Bacon maintained connections with other gangsters while in prison and kept himself in a “position of influence.”

The documents also say that, on the plus side, Bacon mostly maintained a “compliant behaviour” while in prison and had a “positive and constructive attitude” while taking correctional programs.

He participated in French courses, completed first aid training, and plans to take vocational training and search for work in the coming months.

His parents wish to support him “emotionally and financially,” the parole board documents state.

But the board said despite Bacon’s assertions that he is planning to change his lifestyle, his “potential for violence is obvious.”

Among the conditions placed on Bacon’s release are that he refrain from consuming non-prescription drugs, that he not enter establishments where alcohol can be purchased, and that he have his finances monitored to ensure he is not making “rapid and easy” money from criminal ventures.

Bacon was originally sentenced to 12 years, but that was increased to 14 years on appeal by the Crown.

His statutory release date came up so soon due to his receiving double credit for time already served prior to sentencing.

At the time of his 2009 arrest, he was living in Abbotsford and was part of the notorious Bacon brothers, who were running the Red Scorpions gang.

Jonathan Bacon was killed in a targeted shooting in Kelowna in August 2011, and brother Jamie is currently in prison awaiting trial in the Surrey Six murders.