Nicholas Blenkinsop says the Ministry of Corrections should find a better way to store evidence that could clear — or condemn — jail staff who face allegations of assaulting prisoners.
As it stands, video footage from jails is normally taped-over after 30 days.
On Thursday, the provincial Ombudsman urged the government to find a way to keep the recordings for longer than a month.
Blenkinsop is the supervising lawyer with Community Legal Assistance Services For Saskatoon Inner City. He deals with prisoners in the jail system and he says the taping over of potential evidence is frustrating and unfair.
"Prisoners have commented to us about an incident that has occurred. We have contacted the prisoner and the response that we've gotten is that the video has been destroyed, erased and couldn't be accessed," he said Friday.
The Ombudsman's office made its recommendation based on a concern raised by an employee last year. A spokesperson would not say which jail the complaint originated at, citing the need to protect the identity of the corrections worker.
Blenkinsop said that in his experience, the issue goes beyond a single jail in a single year.
Ministry of Corrections spokesman Drew Wilby said staff will isolate and save recordings of major incidents where there are, or may be, criminal charges, but that it's not financially practical to save all the recordings from all the jails.
He added that, in the majority of cases, if an inmate makes the allegation within the 30-day window, the recording will be isolated and saved.