BC Courts Granting Bail in Over Half of Cases Where Crown Seeks Detention: Premier

Nanaimo resident Peter Louhimo asks B.C. Premier David Eby about catch-and-release offenders following the announcement about new hubs that will target violent crime, following a press conference in front of the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Nanaimo, B.C., on April 12, 2023. The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito

B.C. Premier David Eby says that more than half of cases where prosecutors seek jail time for an offence are being turned down by the courts.

Preliminary data from the B.C. Prosecution Service on bail hearings in the province indicate that more than half of the attempts by Crown prosecutors to seek detention for a convicted suspect are rejected by the courts, with judges granting bail instead, Eby said in a statement following a virtual meeting between the country’s premiers and police chiefs on April 21.