Conditions at Bordeaux jail in Montreal's north end have deteriorated so much, some judges are back to giving offenders extra credit for the time they spend behind bars there, awaiting trial.  That practice was severely restricted by the Harper government a few years ago and is supposed to be used only in certain cases.  

Guards and former prisoners have told La Presse that  the wing in Bordeaux where suspects are held before trial is over-run by rats and mice and there is an atmosphere of constant terror because street gang members are mixed in with bikers and the mob.  

In several recent cases, detainees being sentenced were credited with one and a half days for each day they spent at Bordeaux, reducing the amount of time they still had to serve.

Photo credit: Eminoro