Captive in Canada

Injustice in Canada (7)

14-dec-07, updated 15-dec-07

7. The Maplehurst ruling: punishment before conviction!

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We were led to believe that when some one is convicted, he/she gets sentenced to serve some time in jail. Jail means to loose one’s freedom and strip him of choice. This is the punishment for people who are convicted. This is the sentence- to be jailed. To add to this punishment is not in any one’s book of justice. For instance, to beat up an inmate or take away his right to read is an added punishment that is unjustified, whatsoever. It doesn’t come with the court ruling.

However, for some reason, jails in Canada make up their own rulings. It does not matter what the courts say, what justice dictates, or even what is humanly acceptable.

In few days, Shareef’s sister will have her first baby in the coming two weeks. We are all excited and feel we will get a break from the crisis that has been clouding our lives for 18 months, and which seems like it will stay for the coming few years. Shareef sent a letter to the Superintendent of the Maplehurst correctional centre asking to allow him to have what they call “touch visit” with his sister and his newborn nephew. He wanted to embrace the baby and have few moments of happiness instead of the double glassed-barrier room.

Today, he got the answer from the ‘Super”, denying him the visit as the prison “jeopardize the security of the institution”! I wonder what kind of danger that can be inflicted on the institution by a sister and a new born? What the Super means? How can Shareef harm any one if he meets his new born nephew for few minutes? What are these rules? Is the Super in doubt of the capability of his guards and procedures to get scared of such a visit from a new born? Or is it just craving for inflicting harm on these guys and punish them before conviction, just in case courts might find them innocents. Are these officials psychologically secured? I leave it to the reader to find it in his heart how a sane person would deny an innocent until proven otherwise such a family union for few minutes.

On the second day of Shareef’s letter to the “Super”, our regular Saturday visit which I used to have for the last 18 month was mysteriously cancelled from the books! His sister, who is nine months pregnant, and I had to leave the institution after the clerk on the front desk gave us hard time outside, and the designated lieutenant; Mr. Thompson, gave Shareef hard time and abusive language inside for asking why the visit was cancelled!
We have to remember that Shareef, and the other accused for that matter, is not convicted. He is simply detained until the trial. He is supposed to be innocent until that time when the court announces the verdict. Also, we have to mention that those inmates who have actually been convicted of a crime and are serving their sentence in the prison have regular touch visits all the time! But still the honorable Superintendent/judge of the Maplehurst institution insists on punishing Shareef over and above what is already unjustified detention without bail.

We have previously claimed that the prosecutor has been adamant to go against the inhered wisdom of refraining from applying punishment before conviction. However, the honorable “Super” of the Maplehurst has joined the club of the “injustice in Canada”.

To be continued

Related: Injustice in Canada

December 14th, 2007 Opinions | 3 comments | Email it! |  Print This Post | 286 views