PRISONERS AT JOYCEVILLE PENITENTIARY ARE TAKING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO COURT. THEY'RE SUING OVER WHAT THEY SAY IS A BREACH OF THEIR CHARTER RIGHTS.

IT ALL STEMS FROM AN INCIDENT INVOLVING SOME T-SHIRTS THEY MADE DEPICTING ONE OF CANADA'S NATIONAL SYMBOLS.

NEWSWATCH'S MAEGEN KULCHAR HAS MORE.

A

DESIGN ON A T-SHIRT HAS BECOME THE FOCUS OF A LAWSUIT LAUNCHED BY 200 INMATES AT JOYCEVILLE INSTITUTION AGAINST

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

THE T-SHIRT WHICH DEPICTS AN UPSIDE DOWN MAPLE LEAF BEHIND BARS IS A MEMORIAL SYMBOL TO PRISONERS, AND WAS WORN ON AUG

UST

10, 2010 FOR PRISONER'S JUSTICE DAY'.

FOR INMATES, IT'S AN ANNUAL DAY OF MEMORIAL AND PROTEST, WHEN INMATES REFUSE TO WORK OR EAT, REMEMBERING THOSE WHO DIED BEHIND BARS.

MAEGEN KULCHAR:

"THE FIRST PRISONER JUSTICE DAY WAS HELD AT MILLHAVEN INSTITUTION ON AUG 10, 1975. ONE YEAR AFTER AN INMATE COMMITTED SUICIDE AFTER SPENDING TWO MONTHS IN THE HOLE"

SINCE THEN IT HAS BECOME AN ANNUAL EVENT, CELEBRATED WORLDWIDE.

BUT RECENTLY PUBLIC SAFETY MINISTER VIC TOEWS CAUGHT

SIGHT

OF THE DESIGN AND PUT A STOP TO THE T-SHIRT WEARING PROTEST, CALLING IT 'OFFENSIVE AND UNACCEPTABLE'.

NOW, NOT BEING ABLE TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS, INMATES ARE SUING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER WHAT THEY SAY IS A BREACH OF THEIR CHARTER RIGHTS.

THE LAWYER REPRESENTING THE INMATES SAYS

THE GOVERNMENT IS VIOLATING THE PRISONERS RIGHTS.

MARTINEZ/LAWYER:

"THE CENSORSHIP THAT TOOK PLACE, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION WAS HIGHLY IF NOT SOLELY POLITICAL- SO IT WASN'T DONE TO PROMOTE THE SAFETY OF INSTITUTION- THE INSTITUTION WAS OPERATING PERFECTLY FINE WHEN THE T-SHIRT INCIDENT HAPPENED. "

CATHERINE LATIMER AGREES- SHE'S

THE DIRECTOR OF THE JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY OF CANADA AND SAYS WH

ETHER YOUR SERVING A SENTENCE OR NOT, YOU ARE ENTITLED TO CERTAIN RIGHTS.

CATHERINE LATIMER:

"INMATES VOTE THEY ARE POLITICAL, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOICE THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS"

LATIMER SAYS AUGUST 10TH IS A SIGNIFICANT DAY FOR INMATES, ADDING THAT ITS IMPORTANT THAT PRISONERS TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THIS. CATHERINE LATIMER:

"I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO SEE MORE AND MORE LEGAL ACTION IN THE PART OF OFFENDERS BECAUSE OF THE OVERCROWDING AND THE INABILITY OF THE SYSTEM TO REALLY ACCOMMODATE THE ENTITLEMENTS OF INMATES IN THOSE TYPES OF CIRCUMSTANCES"

THIS LAWSUIT COMES

FOLLOWING

A CASE IN B.C WHERE THE COURT RULED IN FAVOR OF AN INMATE WHO CHALLENGED THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS.

MAEGEN KULCHAR CKWS NEWSWATCH

JOYCEVILLE

.