JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED - Ashley Smith

And so it goes. The FIVE YEAR anniversary of the death of a 19 year old young woman is two days from now. FIVE YEARS and the authorities are arguing Motions that would minimize the relevant evidence before a Coroner's Inquest. Ashley Smith choked to death in Kitchener, while in custody, in full view of multiple officers who allegedly had orders not to intervene. She was distraught and possibly mentally ill. Part of her treatment in custody included multiple transfers again allegedly for the purpose of skirting rules on length of time in solitary confinement.

That apparently is how our Correctional Service of Canada handles young prisoners in their care. Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carrys the story "Lawyer alleges "state coverup" at Smith probe". For five years all the responsible and dare I say guilty parties have continued on with their priveleged lives as simple servants avoiding any accountability for this fatal mess. No wonder they feel immune from scrutiny and oversight. That they are basically incompetent in their care seems obvious. That they appear to have zero concern for their charges also seems obvious. What this Inquest needs to know is if there was malice involved? Was there pettiness and power tripping going on that cost this girl her life? Is this whole situation no more than petty bureaucrats far too concerned about protecting their aura of professionalism? Does anybody at the Correctional Service of Canada have a clue as to what they are doing?

Finally this Inquest needs to know that significant changes have been made. Who is being held responsible for the totally unecessary death of this young woman? Will heads roll and will smarter heads change procedures to save future lives? Or is this all a paperwork facade to pretend that our government and bureaucrats care? After five years of little or nothing; the message that I am getting is that our government and those in power don't give a rat's ass about individual Canadian lives being sacrificed on the alter of government and bureaucratic omnipotence and omniscience.