Increasingly prisoners in British Columbia, mainly those homeless, are opting for more jail time in preference to a bleak situation outside.
B.C. prisoners seek extension of jail time to stay housed, avoid overdose | Vancouver Is Awesome | Mike Howell:
August 19, 2023 - "In the space of one week in June, Vancouver criminal defence lawyer Melanie Begalka heard something from three of her clients that bothered her enough to go public. In this case, 'public' was posting a comment on Twitter, the social media platform now known as X....
"In an interview this week, Begalka said two of her three clients — all men — are still in custody. After they were arrested, all three decided not to seek bail or plead guilty, knowing it will lengthen the time they have access to regular meals and a place to sleep. Begalka ... said the concern from the three men was that a request for bail or a guilty plea could lead to a sentence that would soon put them back on the street.
"'[They say], "Let's just push this off, because I'm still waiting to hear from housing providers, I'm still trying to get on to a wait list for treatment, and still trying to find somewhere to go after jail,”' she said. 'So jail is a better option. It’s really horrible, it's really sad'....
"Begalka said a person wanting to extend their time in custody was 'not unusual,' noting that while in law school she encountered inmates who told her they wanted a few days to sleep and eat before being released. The phenomenon, though, has become more acute, she said.
"'It's almost always people who are homeless, who are using drugs, who are tired,' Begalka said. 'It's exhausting to be homeless. It's really, really hard. They call it ‘three hots and a cot’ — that's what you get when you go to jail. You get three hot meals and a bed, and that’s more than some people get anywhere else'....
"A Metro Vancouver homeless count report in 2020 revealed that 107 people who agreed to be interviewed by volunteers said they didn’t have a home because they had previously been in jail or prison.
"A study published in 2016 in the Canadian Journal of Public Health examined the effect of incarceration on housing stability among homeless and vulnerably housed individuals in three Canadian cities. The authors’ conclusion: 'Homeless and vulnerably housed individuals reporting recent incarceration were less likely to be housed over a two-year follow-up period. These findings highlight the importance of assisting individuals experiencing incarceration with securing stable housing during discharge and post-release planning.'"
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