Susan Clairmont: Maria Figliola granted permission from parole board to leave prison to attend church

Killer Maria Figliola wants to go to church.

The federal inmate has been granted permission to leave her minimum-security prison every week for a year to attend her place of worship. She will be escorted by two people and transported in a government vehicle.

She can also go to Christmas and Easter services, a special monthly Eucharist service and the summer church picnic.

The Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says the ETAs - escorted temporary absences - are for personal development purposes."

In the board's opinion, it is desirable for you to be absent from the penitentiary," says the PBC decision.

Your faith is a strong component of your recovery and is viewed as an asset towards your reintegration and will facilitate an opportunity for you to build a pro-social network as part of a gradual reintegration plan."

Figliola, 65, was convicted of hiring a hit man to bludgeon to death her husband, Frank Figliola. Her first-degree murder trials - there were two due to an appeal of her first conviction - heard she had Frank killed for his money.

Maria and Frank were married in a big Catholic Italian wedding in 1976 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Stoney Creek. Frank's funeral was there too.

Figliola continues to deny ordering a hit on Frank, insisting someone else murdered him because of his gambling debts.

Frank was found dead by a trail near the Stoney Creek waterfront on Aug. 7, 2001. Figliola was arrested in 2003 and has been an inmate at Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener since 2015. She is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

In the past, Figliola has been allowed occasional church visits as well as escorted trips home to Hamilton to visit her mother and other relatives.

Figliola has two adult children with Frank.

In all, she has had 42 previous ETAs without problems.

The new plan, approved earlier this month, involves a non-security escort" and a trained citizen escort" accompanying her to church. She will be driven straight there with no stops, then back again. Five hours will be allotted for each outing.

Documents say the plan is not opposed by police.

Figliola has led a colourful life.

She was having an affair with a younger man, whom she lavished with expensive gifts, at the time of Frank's death. She once said she sinned in the eyes of the church" because she cheated on her husband.

She was also convicted of breach of trust and fraud for stealing $600,000 from the bank she worked at.

Figliola's prison record isn't pristine. Once she faced disciplinary charges for having more institutional property than allowed," but was found not guilty. Another time she was charged with take intoxicant into body," which was withdrawn.

A year ago she was transferred to a medium-security prison due to allegations of bullying and intimidation," but was returned to minimum security following an investigation.

Parole documents show psychological assessments of Figliola indicate she is highly motivated but has only medium potential for accountability and reintegration.

In December 2020, she was deemed a low risk to reoffend.

Figliola has participated in several prison programs and individual counselling sessions to address her behavioural issues.

She also has a job in the prison. She is editor of the institution's newsletter.

She is eligible for full parole in 2032.

Susan Clairmont is a Hamilton-based crime, court and social justice columnist at The Spectator. Reach her via email: sclairmont@thespec.com