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DEPUTY MINISTER SUBMITS REPORTS ON IMPROPER RELEASE OF PRISONERS

Released on November 21, 2008

The Saskatchewan government today released the reports from two reviews conducted by Deputy Justice Minister Doug Moen into the improper release of a prisoner at the Saskatoon Provincial Court on October 20 and the improper release of an inmate at the Regina Court of Queen's Bench on October 22.

The reports found that incidents of this nature, while serious, are very rare. Many of the findings in both incidents were similar and can be attributed to human error in busy workplaces.

However, a major issue in both cases involves the delay in reporting these incidents to superiors and to the police. Disciplinary action has been taken by the Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing (CPSP) for the incident involving the inmate from the Regina Correctional Centre, and disciplinary action has been taken by the Ministry of Justice in the case involving Saskatoon Provincial Court.

The review of the Regina case also focused on the actions of CPSP Deputy Minister Terry Coleman and a delay in informing his minister about the issue. Coleman was suspended pending the outcome of the review.

The review makes the following finding and recommendation:

"In retrospect, it may have been a wiser move for the Deputy Minister to provide some preliminary information to the Minister at an earlier point given the Minister's expectation for timely notification. The Deputy Minister made an assessment that he needed additional facts prior to informing the Minister. This was, in the Deputy Minister's mind, done for good reason and, on the face of it, was not unreasonable in the circumstances. On balance, I would recommend that the suspension be lifted and that the Deputy Minister continue his role as a Deputy Minister."

The reviews also make a number of recommendations for improvements in practices and protocols including recommendations to ensure more timely notification of ministers and the public of incidents that put public safety at risk. The Ministries of Justice and CPSP will work to implement the recommendations.

Both reports are available on the Ministry of Justice website at www.justice.gov.sk.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927

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