STEVENS: “This was preventable.” Backlogs and overcrowding turned deadly at Toronto South jail

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Solicitor General Jennie Stevens (St. Catherines) says the death of Euplio Cusano, a senior who needed supportive care for a brain injury and spent seven months in Toronto South Detention Centre without a bail hearing, is a shocking indictment of Doug Ford’s justice and corrections failures.

“A senior with serious health needs sat in a provincial jail for seven months without even getting a bail hearing, and now he has tragically passed away. This was preventable.

“This is what happens when court backlogs spiral and people are warehoused in overcrowded jails that can’t meet basic mental health and health-care needs. It is dangerous for everyone, especially the frontline correctional workers.

“Doug Ford talks tough on safety, but his underfunded, understaffed system is making our communities less safe. Families are paying the price for delays, neglect, and a lack of accountability.

“Ontario needs urgent action to cut court backlogs, ensure timely bail hearings, and fix the overcrowding. How many more people have to suffer before this government takes responsibility?”