Canada’s Bail System according to Government Info

As you have likely heard, Canada’s bail system is in crisis. In 2014, CCLA reported that 54.5% of all people in Canada’s provincial and territorial jails were legally innocent, awaiting the determination of their bail or the resolution of their charges rather than serving a sentence after a conviction. By 2021/22, that proportion had risen to 70%. In Ontario jails, it is 79%. (CCLA)

Conditions in pre-trial custody are dangerous and inhumane. There are issues with overcrowding, and recreation, treatment and rehabilitation programs are limited or non-existent. Prisoners are often subjected to lockdowns due to staff shortages. During lockdowns, prisoners are confined to their cells for the entire day, with little or no access to necessities like fresh air, exercise, clean clothes and towels, showers, and telephone calls to loved ones. These desperate conditions often force innocent people to plead guilty just so they can get out.

This issue comes with real human costs—for instance, the case of Lesley Ann Balfour, a 25-year-old mother of four. After spending 56 days in jail, the Crown withdrew all charges against her. Hers is the human story of Canada’s broken bail system.


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