Canada’s Prison Agency Is Withholding Information About Inmates’ Deaths From Their Families

Losing a loved one while they're in jail is difficult to deal with—and a new study reveals that Corrections Canada is making that even harder for families by withholding important information regarding prisoner deaths.

The full study, conducted by Canadian prison watchdog Howard Sapers, indicates that Correctional Service Canada (CSC) sent at least eight families highly edited reports about their loved ones' deaths and blacked out several possible errors on the CSC's end about how they died. Sapers told The Canadian Press that these edits couldn't all be legitimate. "There were some redactions that I think Correctional Service Canada is going to have to explain," he said. Apparently, a number of people complained to Sapers about having such detailed information regarding their relatives' deaths withheld from them between 2013 and 2015. Aside from the redactions, Sapers discovered that some elements of the incidents were removed from the reports all together. Doing so can easily take these incidents, and what really happened, out of context. While Sapers acknowledged that there are some legitimate reasons to withhold such information, like protecting the privacy of other prisoners, he indicated that the amount of edits were unnecessary and inconsiderate. Among nine recommendations, Sapers wants the CSC to "presumptively and routinely" share reports about all kinds of deaths with their next of kin, and for prisons to have specific liaisons to help the families of lost prisoners. The CSC commented on the study today and said they are creating a response to Sapers' recommendations. "We will take measures to ensure there is an appropriate level of engagement between family members and CSC staff, service providers and others who are well-equipped to provide assistance and support when sharing information with next of kin," the CSC wrote. Sapers says the CSC should provide clearer reports for the families who have already received edited accounts of their loved ones' deaths. Providing closure is the least that they can do. Follow Ebony on Twitter.