Intermittent inmates in Ontario to return home in response to COVID-19 pandemic
Published March 14, 2020 at 3:29 am
As a precautionary response to COVID-19, the Ontario government has announced a change to the province’s adult correctional facilities that’ll see some inmates return home rather than serve their sentences.
Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General, announced on Friday that intermittent inmates — specifically, those who only serve their sentences on weekends — will be allowed to return home on those days.
These inmates will be required to attend their reporting facility, where they will be given a temporary absence from custody and permitted to return home.
“Intermittent inmates have already been deemed low-risk by the courts and remain in the community Monday to Friday to live and work,” according to the government statement.
“The health and well-being of Ontarians is our government’s number one priority. Out of an abundance of caution, the province is taking decisive action to protect the health and safety of our correctional services staff and those in our custody.”
Additionally, personal visits at the province’s adult correctional facilities will be temporarily suspended starting on Saturday, March 14 until further notice. Professional visits including legal counsel will continue.
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To learn more about how the province is attempting to reduce potential transmission of COVID-19, visit the Ontario website.
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