Across the country, provinces are heeding calls from prison advocates, lawyers, and doctors to release inmates and reduce the risk of COVID-19 in prisons. It is frustrating to see provinces move more quicklyAs of Tuesday, 91 federal inmates and scores of corrections officers have tested positive for COVID-19. Alberta, meanwhile, has drawn up plans to turn a wing of one prison into a provincial quarantine zone for all provincial inmates. Crown attorneys have opposed bail or early release for accused criminals, including those charged with non-violent drug offences. Paul Champ, a Toronto lawyer, has filed an application in federal court, seeking to have his client released from the Bath Institution.

Source: National Post April 16, 2020 01:18 UTC