Federal inmates suing Ottawa for millions
Joey Thompson, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, April 01, 2006
VANCOUVER - Federal inmates are suing their jailers in droves for failing to supply everything from an electric blender to cable television and CD-ROMs for their computers -- and the public is on the hook for much of the court and legal costs.
Documents from the Department of Justice in Ottawa show Corrections Services Canada and the federal government are target defendants in 451 open inmate lawsuits and court petitions.
Hundreds of inmates claim damages in the thousands of dollars for injuries and trauma they say they suffered from sexual and physical assaults by other inmates, detention in solitary confinement, slips and falls, shoddy medical care, missing personal belongings, unwanted transfers to tighter security facilities, cancellation of private family visits, lack of free nicotine patches and more.
Scores of other felons are demanding judicial reviews of CSC and National Parole Board staff decisions they allege stomp on their constitutional rights. These include the denial of a religious diet, errors in calculating release dates, unwarranted disciplinary actions and libelous statements in CSC staff reports.
Judging by the stack of documents obtained under the Access to Information Act, a few couldn't resist flooding justice lawyers -- who represent Ottawa in all things legal -- with their complaints about unfairness.
Probably the busiest criminal is Albert Duterville, a Maritimer who, between 2003 and 2005, filed 26 legal beefs against CSC, including a claim for $55,000 for injuries inflicted by inmates and demands for a review of a decision not to let him phone his son or send out mail within 24 hours.
The runner-up is B.C. prisoner Allan Crawshaw who has launched nine actions, including complaints he couldn't keep a free CD Rom that arrived with his Maclean's magazine and staff refused to let him buy a computer with a TV card.
A few inmates are seeking hefty financial awards, among them are Flint Kaya, who tops the list with $25-million for life endangerment and Michel Dumont who wants $8-million for unlawful conviction.
OTHER LAWSUIT CLAIMS INCLUDE:
- An inmate was shafted by a guard who he paid under the table to relocate him to a "preferred location."
- Staff deleted certain numbers from prisoner's phone list.
- Inmate sustained injuries while working out in weight room.
- Someone removed inmate's computer TV card.
- He was wrongly transferred to another institution ($1-million).
- CSC failed to deliver cable television services when promised.
- Prisoner's private family visit was cancelled ($168,000).
- Inmate's photo taken at institution barbeque was published.
- He was denied a food blender.
"We can't stop them," said Dennis Findlay, B.C. regional spokesperson for CSC. "Each claim has to be dealt with in a legal fashion. They have as much right as other Canadians to pursue claims through the courts."
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