Mental Health Issues in Prison
The challenges posed by inmates in prison who require mental health services are not new. However, a number of high-profile cases and incidents have highlighted the problem in the last few years. A recent report by the Office of the Correctional Investigator estimated that at least one in four new admissions to federal prisons present some form of mental health illness, so these issues will only continue to grow in importance and urgency. This panel will look at these issues and discuss some of the ongoing legal advocacy work that is being done in the area.
- Carmen Cheung, Senior Counsel, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
- Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director, Prisoners’ Legal Services
- Ivan Zinger, Executive Director and General Counsel, Office of the Correctional Investigator
- Moderator: Linda McKay-Panos, Executive Director, Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre
This session will be held on Saturday, October 22nd from 4:30 P.M to 5:45 P.M. Full conference program and further details available here.
Speaker Bios
Carmen Cheung, Senior Counsel, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
 |
Carmen is Counsel at the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, where she focuses largely on issues relating to national security law and policy, and litigates matters on behalf of the Association. She has appeared as counsel for the BCCLA and Amnesty International in the Afghan Public Interest Hearings before the Military Police Complaints Commission, and serves as counsel to the Association in Worm v. Attorney General of Canada, a constitutional challenge to the use of indefinite long-term solitary confinement in Canadian prisons. Prior to joining the BCCLA, Carmen was a lawyer in New York, and had practiced at all levels of federal court, including the Supreme Court of the United States. |
Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director, Prisoners’ Legal Services
 |
Jennifer Metcalfe is the Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, a legal clinic that provides assistance to prisoners in British Columbia regarding liberty and human rights issues. She has worked as a lawyer at Prisoners’ Legal Services since June 2006, and has represented prisoners with human rights issues, as well as before the federal and provincial courts and the Parole Board of Canada. |
Ivan Zinger, Executive Director and General Counsel, Office of the Correctional Investigator
 |
Dr. Ivan Zinger received his degree in Common Law from the University of Ottawa in 1992, completed his articles of clerkship at the Federal Court of Canada. In 1999, he obtained his Ph.D. at Carleton University (Ottawa) in Psychology of Criminal Conduct. He is a Research Adjunct Professor with the Law Department at Carleton University.
Dr. Zinger joined the Public Service of Canada in 1996, and has since then held a variety of senior policy and research positions in public safety-related federal departments and agencies. He is recognized as an expert in domestic and international human rights and prison law, and was involved in many international human rights initiatives and delegations. In 2004, he joined the Office of the Correctional Investigator (Federal Prison Ombudsman), as the Director of Policy and Senior Counsel, and has now been appointed as the new Executive Director and General Counsel for that Office. Dr. Zinger published on various topics including ethics, human rights, dangerous offenders, correctional treatment, the diagnosis of psychopathy and penal segregation. In April 2006, he acted as the guest editor of a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice entitled “Prison Oversight and Human Rights.” |
Linda McKay-Panos, Executive Director, Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre
 |
Linda McKay-Panos is the Executive Director of the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. She taught Language Arts and Social Studies with the Calgary Board of Education for 7 years before returning to university to obtain a Law Degree. She practiced law for a time, before joining the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre in 1992 as a Research Associate. Linda is a sessional instructor in the faculties of Law and Arts at the University of Calgary. Linda received her Bachelor of Education, Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Calgary. Linda is the President Alberta Association for Multicultural Education and the Past President of the Public Legal Education Network of Alberta. Linda is the author of several publications dealing with civil liberties, access to information, human rights, discrimination, equality and related topics. Linda received the 2001 Suzanne Mah Award and an Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 for her work in human rights in Alberta. |
