Sept 18, 2023 – Double jeopardy…

CBC News – Olivia Bowden

His brother died in an Ontario jail. Advocates say calls for reform to prevent such deaths are being ignored – Ashton Gray, 34, died by suicide in Toronto South Detention Centre in May

This article offers a perspective on the problem of suicide in prisons and an alarming increase since 2014, from 19 to 46 in 2021.  A further alarming circumstance is that 91% of the suicides were on remand, not convicted of anything at the point of their death.  Advocates are upset not just with the deaths themselves but with the repeated failure of prison reform to eliminate these incidents.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/inmate-suicide-toronto-jail-1.6943729?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar   Tweet from John Howard Society on Prison deaths:  “A report by Ont’s Office of the Chief Coroner found prison deaths have risen “dramatically” from 19 deaths in 2014, to 46 in 2021: 24% were deemed suicides: 91% were people on remand, meaning they’re awaiting trial. Bill C-48 ignores bail system failings.”  https://x.com/JohnHoward_Can/status/1703409808173330450?s=20  (Bill C-48 is An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform) introduced in November of 2021 that has passed First Reading on May 16, 2023 but seems somewhat dormant for now.  https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-48 )

Edmonton Journal – Jonny Wakefield

Edmonton police officer who stole from crime scene keeps job after top court declines to hear chief’s appeal

Alberta has an agency called the Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB).  Constable David Ahlstrom was charged in 2017 with stealing cash, credit cards and other items from three different crime scenes, pled guilty, was fired and then the LERB pleaded mental health issues on behalf of Ahlstrom and reversed the firing.  Police Chief Dale McFee appealed the LERB decision and Court of Appeal Justice Jolaine Antonio found that the case did not raise “a significant question of law” and denied the chief’s appeal.  https://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/edmonton-police-officer-who-stole-from-crime-scene-keeps-job-after-top-court-declines-to-hear-chiefs-appeal  Related article;  The Intercept (US): Gabb Schivone   Most Cops Involved in High-Profile Killings Since 2014 Kept Their Police Licenses – An Intercept investigation reveals how rare it is for officers who use excessive, deadly force to be barred from working as cops.   https://theintercept.com/2023/09/16/police-decertification-license/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter

The Canadian Press –

Saskatchewan child advocate says pronoun policy for schools violates rights

Lisa Broda, Saskatchewan’s Child Advocate, has just filed a report saying that the government policy around child pronouns is in violation of the rights of the child.  “The policy clearly discriminates against transgender children who are unable or unwilling to seek parental consent for the use of their preferred name and pronouns… the policy is also contrary to law or discriminatory. All people, regardless of age, have an inherent human right to have their general identity and gender expression respected.”    Government’s stated policy is to require parental consent on the use of a different pronoun and Premier Scott Moe says he is prepared to invoke the not-withstanding clause to enshrine it in law.  Saskatchewan child advocate says pronoun policy for schools violates rights (msn.com) 

National Women’s Justice Coalition – Women’s Service Map (UK) –

Welcome to the Women’s Services Map – the UK’s first directory of services for women in contact with the criminal justice system 

This is a clever idea in and for itself but all the more in the case of services for women who are under correctional control.  The site is colourful and allows both search and browsing of the services and even groups the services by speciality.  Then the site invites readers to add their own centre and its services.  https://www.womensservicesmap.com/      National Women’s Justice Coalition Home page: Championing best practice and leading on policy    https://wearenwjc.org.uk/    (Ed note:  For some time we have been regularly quoting the UK blogger Russell Webster who presented the above link for the Women’s Service Map as well.  Webster landing page features the latest on a whole wealth of information around the prison / criminal legal system in the UK and would be an essential stopping point for anyone seeking the UK perspective.    https://www.russellwebster.com/blog/   (cf Resources tab in particular)

Prison Policy Initiatives (US)

In the last twenty years, arrests of older adults has gone up by a factor of four and incarcerated persons 55 years old or older in federal prisons went from 3% of the overall incarcerated to 8%.  The age of the incarcerated also went up by 3 ½ years over the same period.  State prisons show the same aging results.  “A robust body of research shows that incarceration itself accelerates aging: people face more chronic and life-threatening illnesses earlier than we would expect outside of prison, and physiological signs of aging occur in people younger than expected.”  The use of solitary, even on younger persons, also has a deterioration effect on health, taking an estimated two years off life expectancy for every year served.   https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/08/02/aging/   Tweet from Prison Policy Initiatives (US) on aging arrests and incarcerated persons: “Thanks to misguided “tough on crime policies,” the incarcerated population in the US has gotten steadily older over the last 30 years, turning many prisons into nursing homes behind bars. Does anyone actually think this is making our communities safer?”  https://x.com/PrisonPolicy/status/1703093890906050590?s=20 (Cf age graph at link) You may also appreciate:   Emancipated Stories Project (US):   A site featuring stories / poems written by incarcerated persons  https://www.instagram.com/emancipated_stories_project/

Prison Policy Initiative (US) – Leah Wong

Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and supervision by state

Often our information regarding mass incarceration is limited to those incarcerated in the federal and state prison system.  This report compiled for all 50 states attempts to draw the perspective on the whole of the correctional system: prison, probation and parole, and estimates a total of around 5.5 million persons implicated. “We’ve designed this report specifically to allow state policymakers and residents to assess the scale and scope of their entire correctional systems. Our findings raise the question of whether community supervision systems are working as intended or whether they simply funnel people into prisons and jails — or are even replicating prison conditions in the community. The report encourages policymakers and advocates to consider how many people under correctional control don’t need to be locked up or monitored at all, and whether high-need individuals are receiving necessary services or only sanctions.”  The report includes facilities for youth confinement and voluntary commitment.  The report includes pie charts and graphs depicting specific aspects of incarceration and correctional status.  https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/correctionalcontrol2023.html   Full report from June 2022: Leah Wong   Chronic Punishment: The unmet health needs of people in state prisons  https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/chronicpunishment.html