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Dr. Paul Wood has had many “firsts” since he was released from prison after serving more than 10 years of life in prison for murder.
The education that began behind bars culminated in a doctorate in psychology, he became a motivational speaker and best-selling author, husband and father, and aspiring racer and motorcyclist.
And now the Parole Board has removed all conditions tied to his life on probation, a move so rare that the board had to verify if it had the power to do so.
When he was released from prison in 2006, it seemed inevitable that the criminal justice system would pursue him to the end.
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If things went very wrong, if he was thought to pose a danger or committed a crime, Wood, 43, could still be called to serve his sentence.
But starting next Monday, your oldest child won’t ask, “Why do we have to wait here?” while other travelers pass them at the airport while the police are called to verify that Wood had the proper permission to travel abroad.
And it was an emotional final meeting with her parole officer this week, a bouquet of flowers for her as a token of appreciation for her support over several years. Watching her wasn’t burdensome, Wood said, but it wasn’t a good use of her time when probation officers had so much to do.
Wood said it was the symbolism of the conditions of his probation that got him excited. You are now a trusted and contributing member of the society.
Ross Giblin / Stuff
While Wood’s probation conditions weren’t burdensome, he feels a burden has been lifted with his release. (File photo)
“I really feel free now.”
“Fourteen years after liberation, I have taken the final step on my way back to society and full reintegration and freedom,” he wrote on social media Wednesday.
Talking to Stuff He said he was indebted to all of his supporters, especially his wife Mary-Ann, who agreed to slow down so they could have a celebratory bike ride together in the Wellington Hills.
When he went into prison when Wood was 18, he heard there was a way to remove the conditions of probation, but it seemed like it hadn’t been done since at least the early 2000s.
The custody administrator of the first prison he entered is now a member of the Parole Board and helped decide his application, as did a board psychiatrist who first granted him parole in 2006. His father he was there both times as well.
Kent Blechynden / Stuff
With all that he has accomplished, Wood says he finally feels like a trusted member of society. (File photo)
It was not a fairy tale, Wood said. There are struggles and challenges, but Wood felt there were no obstacles that couldn’t be overcome.
He was never more grateful to live in a country that had a way back to redemption.
In late 1995, three days after the death of his mother, Wood, 18, killed his drug dealer Boyd Bevan.
In defending himself and his girlfriend from Bevan’s sexual advances, Wood “went beyond self-defense” when he attacked Bevan with a baseball bat, it was reported at the time.
It was appropriate for him to bear the burden of having killed a man, and his actions would never be undone for his victim’s family, but he had to be compassionate and accept his past self, Wood said.
Weighing what he had done then and what he did now, he wanted there to be a net benefit to his life at the end of his days.
He now gives advice to other people and is sought after as a speaker, usually for a fee, sometimes speaking to inmates and sometimes to help, such as the October 7 fundraiser for Crossways Community Creche, when he says he will speak. about her own history and the universal lessons from it.
