Aug. 15, 2023 – Slavery in supply chains…
CBC News / Thompson Reuters –
Canadian businesses seek extension on 2024 rules targeting slavery in supply chains – Industries say they support the spirit of the law, but need more clarity on details of requirements
In January 2024, The Canadian Government is supposed to launch the recently passed Modern Slavery Act (May 2023), an act that requires the mining and apparel industries to eliminate forced and/or child labour from goods and products. Liberal John McKay who sponsored the bill is fearful and concerned that the government and industries are not ready to appropriately implement the act but are looking for a one year further delay. Says McKay: “… there was a lack of reporting and procedural guidelines, which he said were signs that the government was not prepared to meet the January launch date. But he expects most Canadian companies affected by the law to abide by the new rules.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/modern-slavery-supply-chain-businesses-1.6933594?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar&s=03
John Howard Society and the Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights – Rebecca Rabinovitch, Asper Centre Fellow
Charter Rights and Structured Intervention Units: Have Rights Abuses of Administrative Segregation Been Corrected?
Quebec has already authorized a class action lawsuit on the so called ‘structured intervention units’ in the prisons. The structured intervention units have mostly been equated with the old segregation practices with the possible exception that the units have a verbal framework that insist they are different: The report on Bill C-83 recommends these key steps: “Amend the CCRA to define “solitary confinement” in line with the international standards set out in the Mandela Rules, Prohibit prolonged solitary confinement (solitary confinement lasting over 15 days), and Prohibit solitary confinement for prisoners with serious mental health issues.” https://johnhoward.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Charter-Rights-and-Structured-Intervention-Units-Have-Rights-Abuses-of-Administrative-Segregation-Been-Corrected_-002.pdf Tweet from John Howard Society (Canada) on SIU’s: Grateful to the @AsperCentre and its Research Fellow, Rebecca Rabinovitch, for this important analysis of Charter rights and Structured Intervention Units: Parliamentary Review of Bill C-83 vital given ongoing Charter violations @DLeBlancNB @viraniarif https://twitter.com/JohnHoward_Can/status/1689663121898577920?s=20
Richochet (Canada) – Jahanzeb Hussain
Nearly 1,500 people in Canada have died in custody in the past two decades, according to new analysis – The lack of consistent tracking by government reveals a system that is ‘deeply broken and designed to obfuscate responsibility’
Since 2000, nearly 65 people per year have died in custody – a total of nearly 1,500 people, in a situation where, in custody, personal safety is the first obligation. What is equally missing is transparency around the causes of these deaths and adequate reporting to loved ones. “Alexander McClelland, the project’s lead investigator at Carleton University’s Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, told Ricochet that gaining access to the information has been extremely challenging… there is no consistent tracking of deaths in custody across the country despite the high number of deaths.” https://ricochet.media/en/3977/new-data-65-canadians-die-in-custody-each-year Tweet from Jeffrey Bradley on deaths in custody: Nearly 1,500 people in Canada have died in custody in the past two decades, according to new analysis https://ricochet.media/en/3977 via @ricochet_en @trackinjustice https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Brad/status/1689795693936869377?s=20
The Marshall Project – Rahsaan “New York” Thomas
My Wild and Winding Path to a College Degree Behind Bars – Rahsaan “New York” Thomas was proud to finally earn his associate’s degree in San Quentin State Prison. But repeated COVID-19 lockdowns turned his graduation ceremony into a two-year ordeal.
The issues around rehabilitation of a criminal past almost inevitably turn on family and education. The link offers a reminder that making high school and university education when a person is in jail is certainly one of surest forms of rehab. In the US, Pell Grants provide the necessary funding to make higher education possible. Thomas draws a picture of how he accessed higher education to achieve an Associate degree and some of the excitement and obstacles he encountered. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/09/02/my-wild-and-winding-path-to-a-college-degree-behind-bars?utm_source=TMP-Newsletter&utm_campaign=7be8574ad4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_08_11_03_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5e02cdad9d-7be8574ad4-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
Blogger Russell Webster (UK)
The silent demise of legal aid prison law
Webster draws attention to the diminishing availability of legal aid to those incarcerated in the UK. This latest report is from Dr. Laura Janes and on behalf of the Association of Prison Lawyers of England and Wales. It is entitled: The silent demise of legal aid prison law: practitioners speak out. The report’s conclusion is: “A toxic combination of emotionally exhausting, complex and poorly paid work means that prison law legal aid work is no longer sustainable. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the results of this survey by the Association of Prison Lawyers in June 2023.” https://www.russellwebster.com/prisoners-may-soon-lose-access-to-legal-advice/ Full report: (A 24 page downloadable pdf) https://www.associationofprisonlawyers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/APL_SUSTAINABILITY_REPORT_7_AUGUST_2023.pdf (An executive summary is included.)
Innocence Project (Texas) –
The murder of a Catholic priest in 1981 was accompanied by a confession of accused James Reyos and one of the points of this story is the frequency of a confession appearing in what becomes eventually an exoneration. The confession came a year after the murder while Reyos was intoxicated from alcohol and drugs, having previously been ruled out as a suspect by the Texas Rangers. https://mailchi.mp/innocencetexas/iptx-client-lydell-grant-exonerated-6650513?e=0830287d6d
Law Times (ON) – Auden Macnab
‘Kindness can accomplish everything:’ Lawyers discuss LGBTQ2+ inclusion in the workplace – Three lawyers reflect on progress, challenges, and allyship
Most advice coming from lawyers is to litigate and pursue adversarial stances; no one ever suggested that by undertaking litigation a litigant may lose. The link offers a refreshing change and on a topic currently stirring much tension and stress. The three lawyers – Angela Swan, André Bacchus, Naomi Mares – offer a number of insights into sexual inclusivity in the workplace. Try this: “The most important human quality is kindness; if we are kind, every problem we face is manageable. If we are not kind, a great many problems are made immeasurably more difficult to solve, if a solution is even conceivable.” The link also offers an overview of LGBTQ2+ tensions in Canada. https://www.lawtimesnews.com/resources/practice-management/kindness-can-accomplish-everything-lawyers-discuss-lgbtq2-inclusion-in-the-workplace/378724?utm_source=GA&e=bWptbWFuc2ZpZWxkQGJlbGwubmV0&utm_medium=20230815&utm_campaign=LTW-Newsletter-20230815&utm_content=&tu=