THE IBRAHIM ALI CASE & THE JAIL PROBLEM WITH JEFFREY HARTMAN & ROSEMARY RICCIARDELLI

"The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members". If we are to judge Canadian society by the way it treats its prisoners, then the outcome is likely not going to be a good one. Anyone who interacts with prisons will attest as to their horrible conditions and the poor treatment of the inmates. The Ontario jails and prisons in particular are notorious for their inhumane and horrible conditions. They are often the subject of news articles. Very recently the case of Ibrahim Ali was the center of the news. It is the case of an inmate who was suffering from mental health issues and who was beaten to death by his cell mate. The tragic death of Ibrahim Ali and the circumstances that lead to his death not only shocked the legal community, but also sparked a rage and questions about the underlying and systemic problems that are leading to inmate deaths. My guests this week on LAW BREAK are Jeffrey Hartman, counsel for the Ali family and Dr. Rosemary [Rose] Ricciardelli, Ph.D., a Professor in the School of Maritime Studies (PhD, Sociology), Research Chair in Safety, Security, and Wellness, at the Fisheries and Marine Institute at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In this episode, we talk about the Ali case and the NCR hearing. Jeffrey explains what happened at the hearing and some of the facts that formed part of the Agreed Statement of Facts (ASF). We then engage in a discussions about the systemic problem of lockdowns and staff shortage at the jails. We discuss how these recurrent issues contribute to the inmate deaths that we have been witnessing throughout the year. Dr. Ricciardelli talks about her experience visiting jails from other parts of the world and about the differences between other jail systems and the system we have in Canada. This is an extremely important conversation and topic for every criminal lawyer as we also try to present some solutions and ways that us lawyers can help to make our prison system better. #jail #prison #law #crime #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #correctionalofficers