EDITORIAL: Bacon’s rights in context
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Updated: November 18, 2009 3:29 PM
We are finding it exceedingly difficult to conjure sympathy for James Bacon, who presently sits in isolation in a prison cell, awaiting trial for murder.
He’d like a judge to feel otherwise, and for the past several weeks, has consumed about 17 days of court time to air grievances about his living conditions and treatment at the Surrey Pretrial Centre.
Bacon’s constitutional complaining has produced some results. He was recently moved from his former cell into another segregated living unit that features more amenities, such as a TV, fridge, and a small outdoors area.
Still, there’s the small matter of not being able to see his TV from his bunk, and the bigger issue of his mail being withheld, opened by authorities, and sometimes sent to the RCMP for analysis.
Prison officials say they are quite justified in their measures.
They say putting Bacon into the prison’s general population, as he desires, represents an “extreme danger,” to himself, other inmates, and potential witnesses in his upcoming murder trial, as well as guards and staff.
That’s easy to believe, considering there were several attempts on his life before he was arrested and charged in connection with the brutal Surrey Six slayings.
Without presupposing the outcome of that trial, the rights or utter lack thereof, of the victims of that heinous crime come into context.
However, as the presiding justice wrapped up the hearing, he expressed concern about Bacon’s lack of human contact.
In rather candid terms, the justice mused, “It staggers the belief. There must be a class or group he can associate with who would not attempt to use a sharp spoon on him for $25,000.”
If it didn’t jeopardize the safety of good people, we’d say: There is one way to find out.
