Lawyer complains client went four days without shower
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 22/00) - One Yellowknife lawyer called in to defend several residents charged as a result of the RCMP's Operation Guiness is critical of the way the justice system is handling prisoners.
James Brydon complained to the court Saturday when over 20 of the people arrested appeared in court, led into the prisoner's box in twos and threes, shackled to one another with handcuffs.
He said one of his clients had been in custody at the RCMP detachment for over four days without a shower.
"It's noisy and cold, there are no blankets, no mattresses and the food consists of a TV dinner," he said.
RCMP admit the large number of people arrested on drug charges last week had created a bit of a glitch over the weekend. But on Monday they reported the RCMP and Yellowknife Correctional Centre did not seem to be having any serious problems because of the traffic created by funnelling the accused through their remand facilities.
As of Monday YCC had 18 prisoners in remand even though capacity for its remand facility is 16.
"They can be put in other lock-up areas of the building as well," reasoned Warden Doug Friesen.
"The only thing different was the amount of people coming and going over the weekend.
"We've had several intakes ... but don't know if they're all related to this," Friesen said, adding YCC is the intake centre for the entire Western Arctic.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy admitted the number of arrested individuals brought to the RCMP's small remand centre caused some overcrowding initially.
"It was a large amount and this facility is not built for that many people," he said.
"When we arrest someone they are brought into the RCMP office and processed. They are taken before a justice of the peace and all are given a three-day remand. Some are moved to YCC."
Grundy said all female accused were kept at the detachment because the only female facility in the North is in Fort Smith. Of the 25 people's names released to the media, four are women.
Grundy said those arrested were co-operative and even somewhat sympathetic.
"We even had some prisoners say they understood the problem we were having," he said.
He said lawyers also sometimes find it more convenient to deal with clients because they have more access to them at the detachment.
Brydon expressed concern over the amount of people in the detachment saying on a Friday night, when people are usually picked up for drunken behaviour, the remand area can be very unpleasant.
"The thing that upsets me is that the police feel free to arrest masses of people and release them later," he said, adding if not convicted, "You've done more than take their liberty away, you've humiliated them."
Friesen said the amount of time accused persons may spend in remand at YCC is totally dependent on their court proceedings, meaning sometimes they are only there a few days and other times others spend close to a year there.
As of Monday the facility housed 102 people but has the capacity to go at least as high as 200.
He said the only person called in for overtime over the weekend to deal with the high number of intakes was the facility's nurse, who must see all who enter the centre.
