Oops! Prisoners Mistakenly Let Go

(Toronto, Ontario) A review of 143 heavily-censored reports indicated that at least 143 prisoners were able to mistakenly walk out of Ontario correctional facilities between 2003 and 2009.

The data fail to identify how many of the released prisoners are dangerous and how many are still fugitives.

There is much, however, that the reports do not reveal. Among the important details removed from them were the names of the mistakenly released prisoners, the names of the institutions they were released from, and significant facts about why the releases happened.

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said the disclosure of prisoners’ names would have violated privacy laws. Other information was not divulged, the ministry said, because some of the 143 prisoners were young offenders.

But asked how many were young offenders, the ministry said, “This information is not readily available.” And asked how many, if any, of the 143 had been in jail on charges of murder, attempted murder, sexual assault, armed robbery, assault with a weapon and other serious offences, the ministry also said this information was not readily available.

It issued the same response when asked how many of the prisoners were at large for more than one month, more than six months, or never rearrested at all.

Not good. Managerial controls need to be improved.