May 13, 2022
Lawyer’s Daily – John Hill
Finding a job for ex-con…
This link elaborates on the difficulty of all formerly incarcerated persons in getting employment once released. There is usually a question on a job app about criminal record or bonding (impossible if there is a criminal record).“…the Correctional Service of Canada and provincial correctional officials could assist in reducing recidivism by providing those imprisoned with greater job skills while serving their time and ensuring conditions fostering temptations to use drugs after release are closely monitored. Increasing reliance on community corrections as an alternative to imprisoning first time non-violent offenders and requiring them to participate in programming aimed at addressing their criminogenic problem will go a long way.” There is currently a public survey on the notion of ending criminal records in favour of sequestering, in part to reduce recidivism and in part to aid in rehab. https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/criminal/articles/36130/finding-a-job-for-ex-con-john-l-hill-?nl_pk=40ed8ea4-637a-4d76-870f-04f0eeae7de8&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=criminal
CBC News – Catherine Tunney
MP accuses RCMP officials of delivering ‘dodgy’ testimony on facial recognition technology – RCMP used Clearview AI software before company ceased operating in Canada
Clearview AI is the software company, now no longer operating in Canada, who first provided the facial recognition software by drawing from the internet thousands of pictures (now reportedly at 3 billion) against which to match fleeing felons. The software proved particularly faulty for Black persons. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Access to information, Privacy, and Ethics has been querying the RCMP who thus far have been evasive. “Their efforts come a year after federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien stated that the RCMP’s use of facial recognition software created by the U.S.-based Clearview AI amounted to a serious violation of Canada’s privacy laws.” MP’s talking of contempt of Parliament for the RCMP. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-facial-recognition-committee-1.6446694 Related article:
Globe and Mail – Kristy Kirkup
Scathing report calls for RCMP to be overhauled in response to documented human rights violations of women
“The RCMP, Canada’s national police force, is regularly violating the human rights of the women it employs and the women it is intended to protect,” the report states, adding that the force has been made aware of its failings over many years. “External review and reform is required now because the RCMP has shown that it is unable or unwilling to make the necessary reforms itself.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-faces-calls-to-establish-external-review-of-rcmp-to-address/ Full Report: Feminist Alliance for International Action (Canada FAFIA) – Shivangi Misra, Ashley Major, Pamela Palmater, and Shelagh Day FAFIA Report: The Toxic Culture of Misogyny, Racism, and Violence in the RCMP (A 56 page downloadable pdf) https://fafia-afai.org/en/a-report-on-the-toxic-culture-of-misogyny-racism-and-violence-in-the-rcmp/
American Civil Liberties Union (Indiana, US) – Ariella Sult and Leah Grandy,
Lawsuit Claims that Persons Found Incompetent to Stand Trial May Spend Months in Jails Rather than Receive Restoration Services
What happens to people who are found not mentally capable of standing trial? The distressing answer, for both Canada and the US, comes with this US lawsuit against various social agencies responsible for delivering mental health services. They often languish in jail without any health services. The lawsuit says that the main service agency, the Division of Mental Health and Addictions (DMHA), among others, has not the funding or the capacity to provide the mental health services required. “…DMHA has grossly insufficient capacity to provide restoration services to those committed for that purpose.” https://www.aclu-in.org/en/press-releases/lawsuit-claims-persons-found-incompetent-stand-trial-may-spend-months-jails-rather Related article: The Lawyer’s Daily (Canada) – Amanda Jerome Decision ‘makes clear’ judges ‘must take a cautious approach’ when making NCRMD verdict: counsel (Not criminally responsible mental disorder) https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/criminal/articles/36236/decision-makes-clear-judges-must-take-a-cautious-approach-when-making-ncrmd-verdict-counsel?nl_pk=40ed8ea4-637a-4d76-870f-04f0eeae7de8&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=criminal
Alberta Prison Justice Society Tweet:
“It is indeed curious how often incidents involving alleged abuses of prisoners are somehow unrecorded in facilities replete with cameras. One CO also told the APJS that guards looking for an excuse to rough up a given inmate will provoke that inmate verbally because CCTV has no audio.” https://twitter.com/PrisonApjs/status/1523870293084700672?s=03
Los Angeles Progressive (US) – On the web:
Progressive Prosecutors Speak Out About Recalls –
Join BLM-LA’s Melina Abdullah as she guides a discussion with 4 District Attorneys on the frontier of change. Tuesday, May 17th, from 5:00pm – 6:30pm (Pacific Time US and Canada) (A reaction to public criticism and recall from four elected District Attorneys in California, Illinois and Pennsylvania elected on promised progressive crime policies.) https://www.laprogressive.com/featured-event/progressive-prosecutors-speak-out-about-recalls
Bloomberg News.com – Brian Platt
Trudeau’s Oil Pipeline Gets Government-Backed $7.7 Billion Loan – Financing update issued after agency discloses transactions. Minister said in February no new money would flow to project
The Trans Mountain Pipeline has secured $10 billion in loans with over $7 billion in private investment but guarantee by the federal government. Federal minister Chrystia Freeland assured the Canadian public two months ago that no more tax money would be spent on the project. The deal also allows for start-up funds and raises serious questions about the federal government commitment to carbon reduction. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-11/trudeau-s-oil-pipeline-gets-government-backed-7-7-billion-loan?utm_source=Morning+Brief&utm_campaign=2aa585b57a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_02_COPY_1345&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a43c5d924a-2aa585b57a-206962393
Prospect Magazine (UK) – Bastian Berbner & John Goetz
What happened in Guantánamo: a former prisoner and interrogator speak 17 years on – Mr X was supposed to break his prisoner Mohamedou Ould Slahi. He tortured him—and broke himself. Now they speak again
The secret interrogator and the prisoner always met at night and the interrogator always tried to think of some new torture to make the prisoner reveal his supposed secrets. “There was a moment that Mr X says poisoned his soul. One night, he went into the interrogation room where Slahi, small and emaciated, was sitting in his orange jumpsuit on a chair, chained to an eyelet in the floor. Mr X, tall and muscular, had thought of something new again: he pretended to go berserk. He screamed wildly, hurled chairs across the room, slammed his fist against the wall and threw papers in Slahi’s face. Slahi was shaking all over… Mr X says the reason he never forgot that moment was not that he saw fear in Slahi’s eyes, but that he, Mr X, enjoyed seeing that fear. Seeing the trembling Slahi, he says, felt like an orgasm.” https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/what-happened-in-guantanamo-a-former-prisoner-and-interrogator-speak-17-years-on?mc_cid=4544b74594&mc_eid=2a0f14705d