Lady Justice, the statue that symbolizes the moral values of our justice system, wears a blindfold that is supposed to represent objectivity, the message that justice will be administered equally, regardless of such attributes as class, fame, race and gender.
That blindfold was lifted again this week to reveal that on 91原创 Island, justice is not meted out evenly. Women prisoners awaiting trial or other court appearances must be housed on the mainland, while male prisoners are lodged at the 91原创 Island Regional Correctional Centre on Wilkinson Road.
It鈥檚 an unfair disadvantage to women that the province could 鈥� and should 鈥� correct with a modest facility for holding female prisoners.
It would also enhance the efficient administration of justice.
When a 91原创-based Supreme Court justice heard about the situation this week, he was aghast, reflecting views long held by Victoria lawyers and provincial court judges.
鈥淭here must be some accommodations for female prisoners on the Island,鈥� said Justice Arne Silverman, who was hearing a case in Victoria.
The lack of facilities for female prisoners came to Silverman鈥檚 attention as scheduling difficulties arose concerning a bail hearing for a female murder suspect.
Kaela Janine Mehl of Victoria was arrested April 19 and is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death on Sept. 16, 2015, of her 18-month-old daughter. She is being held in the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women in Maple Ridge.
A bail hearing originally scheduled for a Monday had to be changed to a Tuesday. A Monday hearing would require that Mehl be brought to Victoria from the Maple Ridge prison and spend the weekend in police cells, without a shower or much in the way of privacy. Holding it later in the week means only one night in police lockup.
Even one night in the police jail is not appropriate. It is a maximum-security temporary facility that operates 24 hours a day. A light is left on at all times to allow jail staff to check on prisoners every 15 minutes.
Cells are 3.25-square-metre cubicles, in which prisoners sleep on a rubber mat on the floor next to a toilet and a washbasin. While women are kept in separate cells from men, they are not separated from sounds. The jail is often a noisy place, with intoxicated prisoners yelling and screaming, and kicking and rattling the steel doors.
The only meals are fast food.
It鈥檚 a bare-bones place meant to hold people for short periods, until a crisis has passed or until other arrangements are made; being required to endure it for more than a few hours would be a hellish experience.
It鈥檚 punishment meted out to women before they are even found guilty, while male prisoners on remand are allowed to stay at the Wilkinson Road facility in better facilities.
When female prisoners from 91原创 Island are held on the mainland, they cannot easily confer with legal counsel, receive visits from family and friends, and be connected to their community.
It鈥檚 also costly in terms of money and time to fly prisoners to and from the mainland for court appearances.
The government says the number of women prisoners does not justify building and operating a remand centre for women in the capital region; it鈥檚 not cost-effective. But reasonable access to the justice system and decent treatment while in custody are basic rights.
Justice should be blind to such things as class and race, but not to this serious gender inequality.
