On behalf of Nicholas St-Pierre avocat / lawyer posted in criminal defense on Tuesday, August 15, 2017.
Wait times are a serious issue in Canadian jails. While Ontario says it is reviewing its policies to allow for quicker trials and sentencing, statistics show that current wait times can be fatal. Of the nearly 270 people who have died in Canadian provincial jails in the past five years, two thirds were awaiting trial. Legally innocent people dying in prisons is a major issue in Canada, where the criminal defensesystem and tough bail practices have led to overcrowding in jails.
Although authorities will not release the names of the deceased, it is known that the deaths are from a wide range of alleged offenders. Some suffered from chronic mental illness. Some were accused of serious violent crimes while others were nonviolent offenders or people who had breached parole and bail conditions.