Inquiry Needed Into 2015 Deaths Of Two Women At Truro Prison; At the Mercy of the State

Where a person's liberty has been taken, a special legal and moral responsibility ensues for the state because, as the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) says, "offenders retain the rights of all members" of society except those that are "lawfully and necessarily removed or restricted." According to the Correctional Investigator (OCI), although women comprise only about five per cent of the federal prison population, they represent one of the fastest growing segments, with a 67 per cent increase in the last decade. Benefits of external review Nova Scotia's Fatality Investigations Act recognizes the extraordinary nature of deaths in detention, demanding that a death in any custodial facility be followed up by immediate notification of a medical examiner or investigator.