Journalists Hal Newman and Chris Curtis have been exploring the intersections between poverty and the criminal justice system in Quebec, interviewing a number of people over the course of several months..
“ What we were finding is that people who get caught up in the system, their lives almost always get immeasurably worse,” Curtis said.
In a recent article, the pair shared the story of a woman named Vivian. Curtis says the circumstances that led her to get caught up in the justice system also led to her being homeless. From there, Curtis says she was assaulted, and left with an injury that would see her prescribed opioids, which she then became addicted to. After missing a court date, Vivian found herself spending a few days in jail, where Curtis says she was unable to access her methadone.
“ It’s a long journey that almost killed her, and she’s not the only person who’s experienced this,” said Curtis.
Newman says there are a number of issues with the legal aid system in Quebec that people without the means to afford a lawyer are forced to deal with.
“Listeners would be shocked that at the threshold required to get legal aid, you have to be dirt poor. You have to be, pretty much at the verge of homelessness to qualify for legal aid,” he said.
Curtis says there are about 500 dedicated legal aid lawyers in the province, and that the rest of the need in the system is met by private practice lawyers payed by the government. He says the compensation those lawyers receive isn’t enough to make the system function like it should.
“They’re only paid between $600 and $2000 per case. That’s whether the case lasts 15 minutes or 3 months. So the motivation for them is always, ‘okay, well I gotta get this off my plate as soon as possible so that I can get another one so that I can make a living.’ And it creates a system that incentivizes people to plead guilty or just kind of cede their rights, say, ‘all right, whatever, give me the best deal you can,'” he said.
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