Kitchener inmate located following escape from women’s prison

A search is underway after a woman went missing from Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener on Sunday. CTV's Hannah Schmidt has more.

An inmate who was reported missing from Grand Valley Institution for Women over the weekend has been located and arrested.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) said Carolyn Burden, 59, was arrested after being unlawfully at large from the minimum-security unit at the Kitchener prison.

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) said Burden was discovered missing during a headcount on Sunday morning.

Burden is serving a five-year sentence for fraud over $5,000.

CSC immediately contacted police, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.

“She was located in Toronto [Monday] afternoon,” stated Cherri Greeno, a WRPS spokesperson in an email to CTV News. “We received a tip from a member of the public on her whereabouts.”

Former OPP commissioner and CTV News Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis said incidents like this are uncommon but not unexpected at minimum-security facilities.

“Generally speaking, the minimums sometimes don’t have fences,” said Lewis. “At the very least, they have guards watching the perimeter. It’s not overly secure. But once again, these are people that aren’t a threat to public safety.”

Lewis added that escapes from minimum-security units often result in quick police investigations, but the intensity of the search usually depends on the inmate’s risk level.

“The people from minimums aren’t necessarily difficult to find at times…but frankly, [police] are so busy trying to find real violent people, they’re not going to spend a lot of time either,” he said. “More likely it’s going to be a tip, or the individual will get scared and turn themselves back in.”

Lewis said Burden could face additional charges and potentially a reclassification of her security level.

“She’ll be facing additional charges for escaping, and that in itself could bring more jail time,” said Lewis. “They will hopefully learn from this — was she improperly classified, or is there something they can tighten up?”

CSC said they are conducting an investigation, alongside Grand Valley Institution for Women, into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

CTV News reached out to Grand Valley Institution for comment.