The report released Tuesday publicly shares for the first time the number of people dying annually in jails, which has steadily increased since 2017.
Deaths in Ontario jails have almost doubled from 2020 to 2021 — 23 to 41 — a shocking spike that follows a steady rise since 2017 despite fewer people in custody, according to a“It is deeply upsetting,” said Sarah Speight, a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa who co-authored the report with Alexander McClelland, an assistant professor at Carleton University’s.
Speight and McClelland found that, unlike with the federal system which sends out press releases when there is a death in custody, Ontario does not share information about the number of deaths in custody as they happen. This prevents real-time tracking of deaths, as well as causes of death and the institution where the death occurred., their numbers include deaths in police custody and parole — a total of 49 deaths in 2021.
“Due to lack of transparency we do not yet know the reasons for the current increase in deaths between 2020 and 2021,” the report states. Several judges continue to sound the alarm on overcrowding and lockdowns that force inmates to remain in their cells with no access to showers, phone calls or exercise for days at a time.
McClelland and Speight also note that classifying a death as “natural causes” is far more complicated than it seems. McClelland has previously found that deaths due to natural causes in the federal system turned out to be linked to a failure to provide antiretroviral drugs to treat AIDS.The report also slams long delays for inquests into deaths in custody — it can be several years before an inquest happens, resulting in out-of-date recommendations.
The current system of oversight, under the provincial ombudsman, and a pending coroner’s office review of deaths in custody between 2014 and 2021 is falling short, Deshman said.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ONTARIO: South Ontario 7-Eleven to serve alcohol with in-store diningCompany says the Leamington store is the beginning of a wider provincial expansion
Read more »
ONTARIO: South Ontario 7-Eleven to serve alcohol with in-store diningCompany says the Leamington store is the beginning of a wider provincial expansion
Read more »
Drunk driver crashes into Ontario police cruiser at RIDE checkIt's always a bad idea to get behind the wheel of a car while impaired by alcohol or drugs — not only because you could literally kill yourself or ...
Read more »
Ontario lottery customers leaving hundreds of thousands on table with unclaimed ticketsSome people in Ontario are leaving hundreds of thousands \u002D\u002D and even millions, in some cases \u002D\u002D of dollars on the table.
Read more »
Ontario lottery customers leaving hundreds of thousands on table with unclaimed ticketsSome people in Ontario are leaving hundreds of thousands \u002D\u002D and even millions, in some cases \u002D\u002D of dollars on the table.
Read more »
7 of the best snow tubing hills in OntarioSnow tubing in Ontario is one of the most fun winter activities to partake in that requires zero coordination. Toronto has some great hills in the ...
Read more »