A rare court hearing for a mentally ill Jamaican man who’s been in prison for five years without charge began Tuesday as activists called on the Liberal government to overhaul an immigration system that can lead to indefinite detention. At the hearing, Alvin Brown, 40, called for his release so he can access proper treatment for his schizophrenia and depression. There’s been no progress.” Although he became a permanent resident, the government deemed Brown inadmissible after 17 criminal convictions, most for drugs or weapons offences. He served his time — the longest sentence was 14 months — but has been in immigration detention since September 2011, because of his inability to obtain travel documents. Article Continued Below“This is a crisis,” Syed Hussan, of the watchdog group End Immigration Detention Network, said before the hearing.

Source: thestar August 30, 2016 12:54 UTC