Kayla Bourque
Kayla Bourque is a 22-year-old woman from Prince George. She was born in Romania and spent the first 8 months of her life in an orphanage there. A Canadian couple then adopted and raised her. Kayla Bourque is also a sociopath on her way to becoming a serial killer. She has been serving time in jail for torturing and killing a dog and a cat and for having a ‘murder kit’[1] in her possession. Bourque has fantasized about killing people. Her mother is significantly scared enough that she does not want Bourque back in the family home.
Bourque is being kept in jail for an additional 2 months as the judge and probation officials work on a release plan for her. The conditions will be stringent and any breaches will see Bourque back in jail. Her prognosis very poor; she lacks insight or remorse into her crimes. Apparently she also had child pornography in her possession.
Bourque poses a clear and present danger to society. She has been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder with sociopathic tendencies. Clearly Bourque is broken likely as a result of not bonding with a parent or caregiver in the first critical months of life. While not all children coming out of these environments will pose a risk to society, we know that not attaching properly is a risk factor for these kinds of behaviours. Unlike a mental illness there is no pill one can take for these kinds of personality disorders.
The question is how do we protect society while at the same time respect Bourque’s freedom? All of the professionals involved can pretty much predict that, left to her own devices, Bourque will kill someone. Our legal system is not predicated on prevention; rather it focuses on punishment after someone has been convicted of a crime. How can we justify locking her up for a crime she may commit?
I am quite torn about what to do with Kayla Bourque. After her 3 years of parole and restrictions on her freedom what will happen? Do the police watch her for the rest of her life? There has been some discussion about doing something through the mental health act however that is problematic given that personality disorders are not mental illnesses. Sadly there is no easy answer that protects society while balancing her rights to liberty.
[1] Including a razor blade, garbage bags and a hypodermic needle.
