Politic?

Transitioning from Prison to Communities : A Sex Predator In Transition from Male to Female

"For years, Harks was well aware of his uncontrollable urges and desires to touch little girls in a sexual manner, yet he told police he could not afford counselling."
"Regardless of cost, he should have sought treatment long before he molested our children."
Community petition, former victims, B.C.

"The fact that Ms. Harks is in a halfway house instead of jail is a clear example of our justice system is broken."
"[The city of Brampton, Ontario] is livid [at having Harks] dumped [on them]."
"I am asking for your [Ontario Corrections Minister] immediate assistance in our community’s desire to reverse the decision by Correctional Service Canada to ‘dump’ Madilyn Harks (formerly Matthew Harks) in downtown Brampton."
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown

"As a mother of three, I understand and share your concerns."
"I take this matter seriously and am working diligently to ensure Brampton is a safe place for us all."
Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament

Matthew Harks on the left, Madilyn Harks on the right. Calgary Police/Peel Regional Police handout

Matthew Harks is a criminal sex predator. A man who preys on young girls, preferably below the age of nine. He is a serial predator and should have been declared such. He has been recognized as a high risk to re-offend ... and re-offend ... and re-offend, and should be kept in prison permanently. "Given your progress, it is reasonable and necessary to facilitate your successful reintegration into the community", read a Parole Board of Canada 2014 decision.

What progress they could be referring to is absent from the file of public knowledge. The man's victims, mostly girls under age eight, will likely live out their lives forever blighted by this man's appetite for sex with children. He has admitted to having victimized sixty children, retaining their underwear as "trophies" of his exploits targeting children. He is also a proud possessor of child pornography.

Matthew Harks began his career as a conscienceless child exploiter and sexual predator in British Columbia where he was found guilty of several assaults against preschool girls for which he served several months of house arrest. Once paroled, he attacked another young girl. He was imprisoned and free again in three years. He was diagnosed in 2006 by a psychiatrist with an "all encompassing preoccupation with interest in sexually abusing young girls".

He was first convicted in 2004 in his long career as a serial sexual attacker, beginning in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. Out of prison, he moved to Calgary, where local authorities there expressed dismay that he had decided to move there. "He does have the option to determine where he wants to be released and he chose Calgary. I'm not sure why", said Rich Veldhoen with the Calgary Police.

In 2014, Matthew Harks began presenting himself as a woman and the Parole Board of Canada loosened conditions of supervision designed to curb risks of sexual recidivism, and that included psychiatric treatment. Released into the community, he kept committing a string of parole violations, one involving an errand of running money for a still-incarcerated boyfriend landed him back in prison for 330 days where he/she violently attacked other inmates who happened to have "childlike appearance".

Succeeding his/her latest release from prison the now-named Madilyn Rebecca Harks decided to move to Brampton, Ontario. "The residents of Brampton will not tolerate this repeat sex offender living amongst them" Brampton Regional Coun.Gurpreet Singh Dhillon wrote in a letter to the federal Public Safety Minister.

There is no information public relating to the transition from male to female, whether hormone therapy or sexual reassignment surgery has been involved. Several provinces including Ontario require no physical change for residents to be recognized as having transitioned; an application for legal recognition simply requires a note from a doctor affirming that the patient identifies as different than their gender at birth.

As for the Correction Service of Canada, it deems transition procedures for gender dysphoric inmates to be an "essential medical service" one for which they are prepared to pay for hormone therapy and even surgery. Before an inmate born male is permitted to be transferred to a women's prison Canada requires evidence of genital surgery.

Yet imprisonment for an unspecified length of time to ensure public safety from the predations of a serial sexual offender targeting children is an obvious and necessary solution to sexual deviance of such a seriously malevolent nature. Hamstrung by the current social climate of empathetic 'understanding' of the 'illness' of gender confusion.