Nova Scotia decides against GPS tracking for forensic hospital patients
Posted Jan 22, 2015 12:22:51 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The provincial government has decided not to use GPS tracking for mental health patients on leave from hospitals in Nova Scotia.
Health Minister Leo Glavine said three reports recommended against using the technology to monitor patients on forensic hospital passes.
“With the Charter Challenge, the Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, we would have huge obstacles to even put a pilot in place,” he said.
The 2012 homicide of prominent gay rights activist, Raymond Taavel, who was beaten to death allegedly by a patient of the East Coast Forensic Hospital, lead the government to look into electronic monitoring systems.
“I really do have to rely on the clinical and the legal teams to give the information that can make the best decision,” said Glavine.
No jurisdiction in North America uses GPS tracking for patients, though electronic monitoring has been used in the United Kingdom and Australia.
