Fix the cause of jails woes, not the jail - Affordable Defence

1. Fix the cause of jails woes, not the jail http://affordabledefence.com/

2. On behalf of Edelson Clifford D'Angelo Friedman LLP posted in Criminal Defense on April 9, 2016. There is an old Yiddish parable about the notoriously foolish elders of the small town of Chelm. These “wise men,” the story goes, were confronted with the vexing problem of the town’s dilapidated bridge. The townspeople would come to the elders regularly, with complaints and reports of injuries galore. The elders, upon hearing these complaints, sat in deep contemplation for hours until finally, they emerged with a plan for the town bridge. Their solution? “Let us start construction immediately,” the elders announced. “On a hospital, right next to the rickety old bridge!” http://affordabledefence.com/

3. While it is easy to scoff at the foolishness of this approach, it is one that we see all too often when it comes to public policy, and specifically criminal justice reform. Indeed, we have our very own failing bridge, in the form of the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. The OCDC is overcrowded and understaffed. Inmates are double or triple-bunked and given pitiful access to recreational, educational or rehabilitative activities. And, to add insult to injury, the majority of inmates at the OCDC are not there serving a sentence — they are on remand, presumed innocent and awaiting trial. http://affordabledefence.com/

4. The past few weeks have seen a furor of activity and outcry over the conditions at the OCDC. The practice of “shower bunking” — temporarily housing inmates in shower facilities — came to light, and, after the practice continued despite the explicit order of Minister YasirNaqvi, it ultimately resulted in the termination of the detention centre’s superintendent. These revelations have prompted solutions from all corners. Some have called for Minister Naqvi’s resignation. Others have demanded increased funding for the OCDC and the provincial corrections system more broadly. Unfortunately, each of these suggestions would do little more than establish that proverbial hospital next to the broken-down bridge. Because the issues at the OCDC are symptoms of a much deeper and pervasive malaise. http://affordabledefence.com/

5. Thank You http://affordabledefence.com/