How a man who says he was wrongfully convicted is adjusting to life outside of prison

Genevieve Beauchemin speaks with Daniel Jolivet as he settles into a new life after having his conviction overturned, having spent 30 years behind bars.

Daniel Jolivet is rediscovering freedom after 33 years behind bars for a crime he has always maintained he did not commit. Re-inserting into society is proving overwhelming at times, but the now 68-year-old man says he fills his days with the kinds of moments he missed most during his incarceration.

“I am starting a new life,” says Jolivet. “It is a bit late, but it’s never too late.”

Jolivet opened his new home, a tidy, comfortable one-room apartment in Montreal, to CTV News for a glimpse into that new life.

“The first night I dreamt well, I slept well,” says Jolivet pointing to his bed.

He described what he slept on in prison as a mattress on a metal plate.

Now, he also has a kitchen of his own, with food he chose for himself.

“It’s my place, you know,” he says. “Nobody can throw me out, nobody can lock me in, nobody can tell me to stand up for the count, or nothing like that.”

Jolivet’s quadruple-murder conviction

Jolivet had been behind bars since 1992. He was convicted of a quadruple murder in Brossard, on the south shore of Montreal. He is now out on bail after a report by Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office concluded he may have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. He was released on bail on Dec. 19, with a list of conditions to follow, as he waits for a decision from the Justice Minister on whether he will get a new trial or whether his file may be handed over to the Court of Appeals.

Adjusting to life 33 years later he says has come with surprises and challenges.

He is learning to navigate technology, including using a smartphone and a computer, he says.

“I know how to push the button and turn it on. That’s it.”

Jolivet’s longtime lawyer, Nicholas St-Jacques, who is with Quebec’s Innocence Project, is helping him re-integrate into a new world.

“We went to the shopping mall, and he wanted to buy a shirt,” says St-Jacques. “He was like ‘Oh my God, did you see the price?’ And I told him, “That is not expensive, it is a regular price for a shirt now.’”

Jolivet tears up when he speaks of the help he has received from St-Jacques and a close circle of supporters who have provided financial and emotional support.

“They really care for me, I know that,” says Jolivet wiping tears. “People who are going to see me cry are going to say, ‘Oh my, what a baby’, I am kind of a baby, reborn you know?”

No time for anger

Jolivet is applying for Old Age Security and plans to get his driver’s license. He has a packed agenda, he says, and he has no time to waste on being angry for the years he lost.

“I don’t have time for that,” he says. “I am going to be sitting here you know and thinking about the people who did me wrong? No.”

Still his lawyer says Jolivet’s case is a stark reminder for police, lawyers and judges.

“You are working with the lives of people, with the freedom of people,” says St-Jacques. “If you make a mistake, it is not something that you can just correct the next day,”