Ford vows to 'get down to the bottom' of how over 150 inmates were improperly released
Province mistakenly released 157 inmates between 2021 and 2025, according to Global News report
More than 150 inmates have been improperly released from Ontario's jails over several years, a problem that Premier Doug Ford called "unacceptable" on Wednesday.
Global News unearthed government documents through freedom-of-information laws that show the province mistakenly released 157 inmates between 2021 and 2025.
Those documents say the majority of errors were made at the jails and in court, some were administrative while others were human error.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's unacceptable, I'm going to get down to the bottom of it," Ford said Wednesday. "We're building more jails to keep the prisoners inside, but I can assure you, that's not going to go unnoticed."
Solicitor General Michael Kerzner also vowed to understand what happened, though the documents were briefing notes prepared for the minister last year.
Kerzner did not answer questions about what, if anything, he has done to remedy the situation.
"I am going to make sure that we understand exactly what happened," he said. "You have to remember something, that we have many, many people moving in and out of our correctional system every day."
The province is dealing with jails that are well over capacity, which has prompted Ford's government to embark on a
massive jail expansion plan that will span the next few decades.
Liberals ask about inmates 11 times in question period
The Liberals pressed Ford and Kerzner on the issue during question period Wednesday.
Kerzner ignored those questions and spoke about the investments the province is making in correctional facilities. He and Ford also blamed the previous Liberal government for underinvesting in corrections and closing down jails. Ford's Progressive Conservatives have been in power since 2018.
The Liberals asked about the mistakenly released inmates 11 times in question period.
"Not once did they acknowledge it, not once did they say they were going to fix it," interim Liberal leader John Fraser said afterward.
"Not once did they say 'it's a problem, it shouldn't happen,' not once. All they did is what they do every day, which is stand up and say, 'we're the best thing since sliced bread, we're the toughest on crime, we're the best on the economy."'
The province's jails are bursting and have been overcrowded for years. A backlogged court system, understaffed jails and longer jail stays for those accused of crimes all contribute to the problem.
About 80 per cent of inmates at any given time are in a provincial jail awaiting trial and presumptively innocent.
The Canadian Press obtained internal documents that show the province's long-term plan is to build many more jails and upward of 6,000 new jail beds, which Kerzner has said will cost "billions and billions" of dollars.
Critics and opposition parties have said that money would be better spent upstream of correctional facilities, from reducing the court backlog to providing more supportive housing and health care for those dealing with mental health and addiction problems. They say that would, in turn, ease crowding in provincial jails.
