LETHBRIDGE, AB – A Lethbridge woman, who was convicted of stabbing her mother to death during an argument five years ago, has been released on parole for a second time.
Jessica Praill was convicted of manslaughter in Nov. 2016 at 29-years old and sentenced to eight years in prison. She previously told a Lethbridge court that she had a strained relationship with her mom, who abused her and her sister when they were kids. Praill stabbed her mother while she was asleep in Apr. 2016, following an argument over alcohol and cigarettes.
She was functioning well in prison and met reintegration requirements, so she was released on full parole the first time in May 2019, with a number of conditions. However, struggles with chronic mental illness and going off her medication sent her back to prison within just a few weeks.
At a hearing last week, the Parole Board of Canada said Praill – who’s now 33 – has made significant improvements since 2019, regularly taking her medications and undergoing intensive psychological treatments. The Board agreed to release her on day parole at a supervised facility on Aug. 10, 2021.
If Praill successfully completes this six-month long day parole without breaking her conditions, she’ll be released on full parole by early 2022.
She told the Parole Board during last week’s hearing that she is stable on her current medications, she wants to continue meeting with a counselor and she will seek help if her symptoms return. The Board also notes that this is Praill’s only conviction, she is a low risk to re-offend and she has demonstrated a high degree of reintegration potential.