Manitoba’s family services minister was warned a while ago that children in care were being kept in jail longer than necessary because of a shortage of appropriate foster care spots.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Kerri Irvin-Ross said the government has been working on the issue, but there is no quick fix. Kids who end up in police custody have complex needs and often can’t be released into any foster home, she said.
Irvin-Ross refused to say if she was concerned that keeping kids in jail longer than necessary was a violation of their charter rights, as some have alleged.
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