IN THE NEWS
News stories featuring the APJS
LAWYERS SLAM GOVERNMENT AFTER 43 CATCH COVID IN LATEST OUTBREAK AT EDMONTON REMAND CENTRE
27 September 2021
"There is simply no way that you can justify not giving people soap, not giving them some sanitizer, and not giving them a fresh mask each day"
'DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE': DRUMHELLER PRISON LOCKDOWN GOES ON DESPITE WIDESPREAD COVID RECOVERIES
January 20, 2021
Inmates at the affected unit have previously described limited access to showers and a lack of adequate food and health supplies, which included weeks without products like soap or toothpaste
PRISONER JUSTICE SOCIETY CALLS FOR PLAN TO PROTECT ALBERTA INMATES FROM COVID-19 OUTBREAKS
December 22, 2020
Dozens of COVID-19 cases linked to outbreaks at correctional facilities
PRISON JUSTICE SOCIETY URGES 'DRASTIC ACTION' AS COVID-19 SPREADS IN CALGARY JAIL
November 2, 2020
"The president of the Alberta Prison Justice Society is calling for drastic action after almost two-thirds of inmates at the Calgary Correctional Centre contracted COVID-19."
ALBERTA JAILS BREACHING PANDEMIC PROTOCOLS, LAWYERS WARN PROVINCE
July 17, 2020
"The Alberta Prison Justice Society (APJS), an organization of lawyers who promote the rights of prisoners, say members consistently receive complaints that staff are not wearing masks or maintaining physical distancing."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-jails-covid-19-protocols-safety-1.5652897
ALBERTA PRISON JUSTICE SOCIETY CONCERNED WITH COMMENTS ON POSSIBLE ALBERTA PAROLE BOARD
July 13, 2020
“One of them is that, that comment is drawing the administration of justice into disrepute. He is implying very heavily that the current system isn’t protecting people, and that’s a problem,” Hart-Dowhun said. “The other issue and the more pressing issue, from my perspective, is that he’s also implying that the provincial parole board that they’re going to create will be placing undue weight on public safety.”
REMAND CENTRE INMATE TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19; CANADA POST OUTBREAK CONFIRMED
May 8, 2020
"A COVID-19 outbreak in an Alberta correctional facility has been a worry for Amanda Hart-Dowhun, an Edmonton lawyer and president of the Alberta Prison Justice Society. She says these facilities house a large number of people in a relatively small space, making them breeding grounds for the virus."
https://calgaryherald.com/news/live-at-330-p-m-dr-hinshaw-to-update-albertas-covid-19-response
INMATE ADVOCATES WARN OF COVID-19 SPREAD IN CANADA’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
Mar. 26, 2020
"Advocates across Canada are calling for the release of non-violent offenders and a unified plan to deal with the health and safety of inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic."
https://globalnews.ca/news/6738316/prisoner-advocates-jails-covid-19-coronavirus-canada/
INMATE POPULATION VULNERABLE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, LAWYERS SAY
Mar. 18, 2020
"The president of the Alberta Prison Justice Society is also calling on the government and Crown to exercise discretion with inmates."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/lawyers-inmate-population-covid19-1.5502211
FORMER EDMONTON REMAND PRISONER WINS MILESTONE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT CASE
Mar. 13, 2020
"On Thursday, the Alberta Court of Appeal issued a unanimous decision in the case of Wayne Wilcox, finding that Alberta prisoners placed immediately into solitary confinement can use the ancient legal principle of habeas corpus to challenge their confinement."
WHAT INMATES THINK CANDIDATES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LIFE INSIDE ALBERTA'S JAILS
April 12, 2019
"Inmates who break the rules can be removed from the general population through a process called disciplinary segregation. But another process, known as administrative segregation, is more flexible. Amanda Hart-Dowhun, president of the Alberta Prison Justice Society, said an inmate can be placed on administrative segregation even if they’re not facing an internal charge."https://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/what-inmates-think-candidates-should-know-about-life-inside-albertas-jails