ASHLEY SMITH: THE BUCK STOPS WHERE?

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Manager didn't have proper training, inquiry told". Under oath, manager Michelle Bridgen testified that she did not have the proper training required in order to deal with behavioural high risk inmates such as Ashley Smith. Up to this point it appeared that the guards initially received the major blame at the time of Smith's death but during the Inquest the finger seemed to be pointing at senior management including the warden and deputy warden. Today's article indicates that at least one senior manager is pointing the finger further up the Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) chain of command.

It would seem obvious that major errors of the fatal variety were made by CSC and or their staff. I am not aware at this time of any ulterior motives or malice involved and have heard nothing to so indicate. That being said, dead is dead, and it should never have happened. Even more of a question for me is how a minor could be imprisoned for so long on such a minor outside charge. This whole idea of "institutional" charges is abhorrent and repulsive.