Red Zones’ Set the Marginalized Up for More Trouble, Study Finds

published on March 1, 2017 by Stefania Seccia in The Tyee

One in five court-ordered release conditions restrict where a person can go “” with harsh results.

A disproportionate number of homeless people, as well as sex workers and drug users, are being unjustly denied access to certain city blocks concentrated in the Downtown Eastside, charges an as-yet-to-be released study.

Courts place a variety of conditions on people released after having been charged with a criminal offence but not yet found guilty. In 20 per cent of cases those conditions include areas where the released person isn’t allowed to go “” so-called “red zones.”

Often, these simply lead to additional charges when the released individuals gravitate back to familiar streets, according to the study from a team of researchers at the University of Ottawa, Simon Fraser University, the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the University of Montreal.

The study examined how bail and sentencing conditions are impacting lives in four cities in Canada. It came to light when it was discussed by some researchers involved at a Feb. 15 public forum on policing in the Downtown Eastside.