corrections

Ontario’s Solicitor General says they are taking action following news that some inmates have been released from jail in error.

Global News identified through freedom-of-information requests that 150 people were mistakenly released from jails since 2021.

Speaking at Queen’s Park, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner says all were returned to jail shortly afterward.

“The Deputy Solicitor General for Corrections reaffirmed this. . . that if there was an improper release, those people are immediately re-apprehended and put back in jail, where they belong,” Kerzner says.

He says they have also taken steps to avoid similar occurrences.

“We’ve made investments to make sure that we’ve benefited from the digitalization with the Ministry of the Attorney General to make sure it doesn’t happen. We’re going to make sure that everybody is held to account,” says the Minister.

The Premier calls their release unacceptable and intends to find out why it happened in the first place.

“They had to pull me off the ceiling when I heard this,” says Ford.

“We’re going to find out what happened. We’re gonna go to root cause, and we’re gonna make sure not one single inmate, not one gets out that door.”

Ford refused to place blame on his Solicitor General, stating that it is the Deputy Minister who is responsible for overseeing correctional services.