Questions are being raised about inmates' access to social media after Facebook postings on a page attributed to a serial rapist became an issue in his parole hearing.

Ernie Meigs is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence for a string of violent crimes that include brutally raping two women and kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, an offence that sparked one of the biggest manhunts in B.C. history.

During a hearing in Prince Albert, Sask. on Wednesday, Meigs's parole officer recommended the board deny day and full parole. The officer said he was concerned that Meigs's psychiatric evaluations as well as some worrying images were posted on a Facebook page in the inmate's name.

Meigs abruptly agreed to postpone the hearing after becoming agitated and questioning the accuracy of his psychiatric assessments. But he did seem aware of the images and told the board they were cathartic.

"I use those pictures to express my emotions instead of using violence," he said.

It's unclear who published the material online, and the Correctional Service of Canada told CTV News that, "inmates in incarcerated facilities do not have access to the internet, including social media sites."

Criminologist Robert Gordon of Simon Fraser University said that while a "big question mark" remains about who created the Facebook page, it's concerning that a prisoner might have a social media page.

"I have some difficulty, obviously, with the prospect of a convicted sex offender being able to put this kind stuff on a website," he said.

"It's a security issue for anyone running a correctional facility."

Victims' rights groups are appalled that the Facebook site exists and worry that it has the potential to re-victimize the people Meigs has hurt.

"It's legally wrong for them to have access to be able to further insult and harm their victims," Joe Wamback of the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation said.

"Whether it's cathartic for him or not is totally irrelevant."

There's no word yet on whether the Facebook page will be taken down. Meigs's parole hearing has yet to be re-scheduled.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Scott Roberts