WATCH: Following Global News’ exclusive reporting that revealed that Correctional Services Canada instructed staff to keep quiet about the 2022 transfer of notable convicted murderer Luka Magnotta from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security institution, ‘The West Block’ host Mercedes Stephenson interviews former correctional investigator of Canada Howard Sapers about balancing privacy rights and the public’s right to know.
“The most well-known principle is that the state only has the right to limit a citizen’s independence — regardless of who they are — to the extent absolutely necessary to meet a legal reason,” he said. “So we have to always be focused on this sort of least restrictive or least intrusive measure in administering the law.”Story continues below advertisement
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Sapers said parole success in Canada is typically “pretty high,” but it depends on the level of supervision. “When situations in custody are crowded, that’s not safe for anybody. It’s not a good place to work. It’s not a good place to be spending your time as a prisoner, either. So there’s lots of problems that come with overcrowding.”