Want to know how many inmates have been improperly released from EMDC? We asked
CBC
Over the past nine years, 11 inmates have been improperly released from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, including an incident last summer in which a man charged with attempted murder was released in error.
Information obtained by CBC News through an access to information request reveals the inmates were improperly released and free for periods of time that range from less than a day to 27 days before they were either re-arrested or turned themselves in.
Information provided to CBC News did not include any details about the incidents. Calls for comment from the Solicitor General's ministry were not returned by deadline Wednesday.
Only one of the 11 incidents resulted in a public notification: Last summer's erroneous release of Cody Anthony Leblanc Ashe. Described as a dangerous offender by police, Leblanc Ashe was mistakenly released after a court appearance on a charge of attempted murder. He was on the loose for three days before he was re-arrested by police outside of the city.
At the time of Leblanc Ashe's re-arrest, the Ministries of the Attorney General and the Solicitor General called the release "unacceptable" and promised to investigate.
CBC News has asked for an update into the investigation but was told they couldn't comment on an active investigation.
In a separate improper release incident from EMDC in August, the person released was on the loose for 27 days before being brought back into custody.
In four of the 11 improper releases, the inmate was back in custody on the same day they were released. In one of those four instances the inmate's return to EMDC is listed as "not warranted (per police)" but provides no other detail.
The worst year was 2018, when there were three improper releases.
The problem isn't unique to EMDC. Eleven inmates at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre were mistakenly released in a two and a half year period ending in mid 2023.
Nick Cake, a London defence lawyer, said any errors in the documents produced at the courthouse could result in the improper release of an inmate. Cake said defence lawyers don't have direct control over a client's court paperwork but said London's court system is busy and he's seen an increase in staff turnover in recent years.
"We've got plea courtrooms with 19 or 20 matters in them during a day that all produce paperwork, sentencing documents and such and there's the high potential for an error to be made because the court system is overworked," said Cake.
Cake said there can be a disconnect when information is sent from court to jail.
"The court officials aren't in court, and the court officials aren't in jail," said Cake. "The paperwork goes from one government body to another, but there's a disconnect in potentially any checks and balances that could exist."
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