After enduring over four decades in federal incarceration, 62-year-old Ed Speidel is determined to secure a compassionate release, allowing him to spend his final days outside the confines of a prison cell. Diagnosed with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), along with chronic pain and rheumatoid arthritis, Speidel faces a daunting battle with his failing health while being incarcerated at the Matsqui Institution, a medium-security prison in Abbotsford, B.C.
Speidel’s lung function is currently at a mere 19 percent compared to that of healthy individuals. He depends on oxygen round-the-clock, making even simple tasks a challenge. During a phone interview with CTV News, Speidel recounted how he had to struggle to obtain a portable oxygen unit just to make it to the interview room.
Having committed robberies in his past, Speidel acknowledges his past actions but asserts that he has already served 41 years in prison and poses no threat to the public. Despite his plea for compassionate release, he was denied parole in July 2022 when he requested parole by exception, citing his ailing health, age, and time served. Subsequently, he sought legal support to strengthen his case, with the help of Lisa Crossley from Prisoner Legal Services in Vancouver.
Crossley believes the doctor’s note recommending compassionate release due to Speidel’s deteriorating health should bolster his case. However, an application for an expedited hearing was turned down. As a result, Speidel is now considering a medically assisted death (MAID) application as a last resort, although it is not his preferred choice.
The situation raises broader concerns about aging and ailing inmates in Canadian prisons. Of the nearly 7,000 federal prisoners in 2023, more than 25 percent are 50 years or older and classified as aging offenders. Past lifestyles, substance abuse, and the stress of imprisonment contribute to prisoners aging more rapidly, leading to higher rates of age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, lung disease, and dementia.
Ivan Zinger, the correctional investigator of Canada, expressed concern over the presence of terminally ill or severely incapacitated prisoners within the correctional system. Prisons were never intended to serve as nursing homes or hospices, yet the aging prisoner population is faced with inadequate care facilities. Zinger pointed to the need for secure nursing homes for older inmates, a practice adopted in other jurisdictions like the U.S. and Europe.
The current parole system’s limited granting of compassionate releases adds to the problem. Between 2019 and early 2023, only 29 paroles by exception were granted to all age groups, with just 13 of them going to prisoners aged 60 and older. This highlights the pressing need for more medical compassionate releases.
Speidel’s case underscores the urgency of addressing the issue of compassionate parole or MAID for terminally ill inmates. He hopes for parole to spend his remaining time outside the prison walls, but the prospect of getting MAID approval may be more likely, posing a moral dilemma. His lawyer, Crossley, calls for a deeper examination of the criteria for MAID, questioning whether eligible individuals pose significant risks to the community that would preclude some form of compassionate release.
As Speidel awaits his fate, he insists that he does not wish to suffer, gasping for breath on a prison floor. The urgency of his situation underscores the importance of finding compassionate solutions for aging and ailing inmates within the Canadian correctional system.