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April 23, 2021 The Hon. Mike Farnworth, MLAMinister of Public Safety & Solicitor General Province of British ColumbiaPO Box 9010 – Stn Prov GovtVictoria, BCV8W 9E2 Dear Mr. Farnworth, Thanks for your reply of 1st February 2021 to our letter requesting information on solitary/separate confinement in B.C. Corrections. The link to data provided, however, does not lead us to any answers to our questions on its use in B.C. Corrections. You refer us to Access to Information, but we believe that it should be made publicly available. You must be well aware of the court cases brought on the subject and the serious…

Written Testimony for abolishsolitary.caBy Leilah Mouna The conflict with this form of imprisonment lies not in finding faults in its positive attributes or disproving its fundamental purpose of rehabilitation. Rather, importance lies in proving that without doubt, the current and prolonged use of solitary confinement is morally and legally corrupt. In North America, home of liberty and human rights, over 80,000 prisoners are isolated in solitary confinement. We purposely inflict such lengthened isolation, when it has been proven to cause mental illness, physical harm, a decreased ability for inmates to become members of society again, and direct infringement against the Universal…

Comments on Bill C-83, An Act to amend the Corrections and conditional Release Act and another Act, by the Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement, Paul Copeland, CM, LLB, life bencher, and Lynn McDonald, CM, PhD, LLD (hon, professor emerita. Introduction: Members of the Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement are unconvinced of the government’s claim that “structured intervention units” will bring about the abolition of solitary confinement as claimed by the minister, or come close to that goal. The language is different, but there is nothing to ensure that the new measures (1) will be implemented properly (too many loopholes…

The Globe and Mail | Tom Cardoso, Crime and justice reporter | Janice DicksonPublished October 26, 2020 MPs from all parties on a House of Commons committee say they support studying systemic discrimination in federal prisons, including inmate risk assessments, days after a Globe and Mail investigation found these tools are biased against Indigenous and Black people. Jack Harris, the NDP’s public safety critic, said before a meeting of the public safety committee that a study is an “extremely high” priority after he introduced a motion that calls for “immediate measures to be taken to provide expeditious redress for systemic discrimination in federal prisons, including…

Hon. Brian PallisterPremierProvince of Manitoba450 BroadwayWinnipeg, MB R3C 0V8November 2, 2020 Dear Premier Pallister: Re: Solitary Confinement We wish to raise with you our concerns, widely shared by the public, on the continued use of solitary confinement in corrections. Our aim is abolition, but we would hope to see major reforms achieved even short of that goal. We expect that the gross overrepresentation of Indigenous persons in solitary (already over-represented in the prison population) will not be curtailed short of legislation to abolish solitary. As you may know, the federal government has abandoned its appeals on two major decisions on solitary. This means that…

Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement June 1, 2020 Sent by email to: doug.downey@pc.ola.org Hon. Doug Downey Attorney General of Ontario Dear Mr. Attorney: Re: Solitary Confinement Now that Ontario is gradually returning to normal activities, we wish to raise with you our concerns, widely shared by the public, on the continued use of solitary confinement in corrections. Our aim is abolition, but we would hope to see major reforms achieved even short of that goal. We expect that the gross over-representation of Indigenous persons in solitary (already over-represented in the prison population) will not be curtailed short of legislation to abolish solitary. You are…

Hon Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Hon. David Eby, Attorney General, Government of British Columbia 18 January 2020 Dear Mr Farnworth and Mr Eby We were encouraged to hear that the B.C. government is looking at the issue of solitary confinement (separate confinement), possibly by legislation, possibly by regulation. Naturally we would prefer legislation, as it is harder to undo it when put into place than regulations. You are aware that Yukon is the first jurisdiction to legislate limits on solitary: 15 days at any one time, a 5 day space between, and a maximum of 60 days over…

Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement | 15 January 2020 Congratulations to Yukon, the first jurisdiction in Canada to adopt firm, legislated, limits on the use of solitary confinement: 15 days, no more than 60 over a 365-day period, with a required 5 day break between any new imposition of solitary. These limits are consistent with the “Mandela rules” adopted by the United Nations. The Yukon law also bans the use of solitary for pregnant women and those who recently gave birth, those who are suicidal, chronically self-harming or have an intellectual disability or mobility impairment that meet prescribed conditions. We note that…

Hon. Tracy-Anne McPhee’s response can be read at the end of this letter. Please scroll to the end of the page to read the embedded letter (a PDF scan) Hon. Sandy Silver, premier;Hon. Tracy-Anne McPhee, Minister of Justice2 November 2019 Dear Premier Silver and Ms McPheere: Limits to solitary confinement The Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement was pleased to see your decision to put limits on the use of solitary as stated in the UN Convention. We seek full abolition, but recognize the end of prolonged solitary as an important step. We urge you to add one further category to the list…

Marco Vigliotti | ipolitics.ca | 21 August 2019 Penitentiaries in Canada must adopt the Liberal government’s replacement for solitary confinement in November. Sections of a new federal law overhauling the rules for solitary confinement, known formally as administrative segregation, will come into force on Nov. 30, as dictated in an order-in-council approved by cabinet this month. They include provisions authorizing penitentiaries to establish structured intervention units (SIUs). According to the government, inmates placed in SIUs will still retain access to health care and rehabilitative programming, and are entitled to four hours outside of their cells daily, instead of two under the current system,…

CBC News · Posted: May 09, 2019 4:00 AM ET An Ottawa MPP is introducing a private member’s bill designed to gradually eliminate the use of solitary confinement in Ontario’s correctional institutions. Ottawa-Vanier MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers wants to create a five-year plan to gradually phase out the practice. Before that happens, her bill, if passed, would also prohibit inmates from spending more than 60 days a year in solitary confinement, require medical staff to provide daily care to those inmates, and create an independent oversight body that would oversee the use of solitary confinement. At a news conference Wednesday at Queen’s Park, Des…

Hon. Sylvia Jones MPPMinister of Community Safety and Correctional ServicesFebruary 27, 2019 Dear Ms Jones We heartily endorse the call by Renu Mandhane, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, to end solitary confinement in Ontario. Since its inception in 2016, our organization has endorsed abolition. We do not see that partial measures will eliminate the horrendous injustices that occur. The over-representation of Indigenous inmates (already over-represented in the prison population), and use of solitary with the mentally ill and young have been known about for decades. Solitary should not be treated as a politically partisan matter. These cases (Ashley Smith and Adam…

Hon Ralph Goodale, MPMinister of Public SafetyJanuary 29, 2019cc: all federal MPs Dear Mr Goodale We appreciated meeting with Arif Virani, MP, Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and understand that he has conveyed our views to you. We urge you to redraft Bill C-83. We do not believe that it will stand the test in court, and have every reason to believe that civil liberties organizations will take you to court on it. Yes, four hours out of cell sounds a lot better than one or two, and should reduce the number of suicides, attempts, mental deterioration and…

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            This brief will be submitted at committee stage – the bill received first reading on March 20. We invite all who share our concern to co-sign the brief with us. Just send your Yes by email: info@abolishsolitary.ca             Signers to date are: Mary Boyce, BA (hons) LLB, lawyer hon Ed Broadbent, CC, PC, PhD Paul Copeland, CM, LLB (Canon) Phyllis Creighton, OOnt, MA, editor Hon John Godfrey, PC, Dphil, special advisor on climate change, Ontario government Lynn McDonald, CM, PhD, LLD (hon), professor emerita Bev Swerling, M Ed, retired guidance counsellor, Toronto District School District Very Rev Hon Lois M. Wilson, CC, retired senator and former moderator, United…

Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional ServicesOffice of the Minister25 Grosvenor 18th floor Toronto ON M7A Tel: 416-325-0408 MCSCS.Feedback@ontario.caMC-2018-391 Apr 09 2018                        By e-mail Dear Dr. McDonald and Colleagues: Thank you for your e-mail regarding recommendations for corrections reform. I appreciate the feedback provided and the collective insight which you and your colleagues have shared. Ontario is working hard to modernize the justice system to make it more accessible, efficient and responsive to the needs of people across the province. As part of this modernization, my ministry will continue to move forward with the changes that are necessary to transform Ontario’s correctional services to…

(as submitted to the Standing Committee on Justice of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, April 2018) See also Minister Lalonde’s April 9 letter to the Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement. The Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement commends the Government of Ontario for the many improvements evident in Bill 6: the “transformation” claim is appropriate. Our critical remarks are confined to Parts V and VI on solitary confinement, under whatever name, segregation or restrictive placements. These provisions, when enacted, will likely result in fewer suicides and attempts, less self-harm and mental deterioration, but it must be expected that all these will continue, for the…

Excerpted from ‘Behind the Door’: Solitary Confinement in the Irish Penal System. Irish Penal Reform Trust, 2018 1. Elimination of the use of solitary confinement: 1.1 The Minister for Justice and Equality should develop and consult on a Strategy for the Elimination of Solitary Confinement based upon principles of decarceration. 1.2 The Irish Prison Service should ensure, as a minimum, full compliance with the Mandela Rules and should amend its policy on ‘the elimination of solitary confinement’ (IPS, 2017) accordingly. 1.3 The Irish Prison Service should set the minimum out-of-cell time at 8 hours per day. Additionally, a target should be set of at least…

 2018-02-01 abolishsolitary Hon Ralph Goodale, MPMinister of Public Safety30 January 2018 re: Abolition of solitary confinement You and your staff, no doubt, as we, are studying the two recent decisions on solitary confinement (segregation). You will presumably redraft Bill C-56 before proceeding with it in the House, unless an appeal is planned. The Marrocco decision (December 18, 2017), under appeal by CCLA, was inconsistent and unsatisfactory in many respects, but it was clear that the damage of solitary begins as early as 48 hours. The evidence for this is strong, and even acknowledged in the UN Special Rapporteur’s landmark statement of 2011. Yet the federal…

Solitary confinement: harm reduction is better than nothing, but not good enough We are pleased to see the announcement of the Hon Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety, that new legislation (Bill C-56) will be introduced this fall to limit, albeit with serious exceptions, the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons. The proposed limit of 21 days (later to be reduced to 15 days) will prevent some suicides and some mental deterioration, but why not do the job better? The proposal falls far short of UN recommendations, which include a 60-day limit in solitary in any year, as well as the…

Hon Marie-France Lalonde, MPPMinister of Community Safety and Correctional Services (Ontario)October 10, 2017 Dear Ms Lalonde Thank you for your response of September 13, 2017 to our letter advocating the full-scale abolition of solitary confinement in the prison system. We were pleased to see your bold, long-term, vision, both on solitary and imprisonment itself, but wish to concentrate on the immediate goal: the abolition of solitary confinement. We were puzzled by your statement about shifting health care services to the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, apparently to be “explored.” Clearly it would be important to deal with this, if to be done,…

Patrick Wright’s article in the August 13, 2017 Globe and Mail can be accessed here: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prison-kennel-pens-at-edmonton-institution-called-totally-inhumane/article35971209/…

The Globe and Mail June 9 2017 Your editorial clearly sets out the inconsistencies, hypocrisy and injustices of solitary confinement. We agree with it also in its support for Howard Sapers’s recommendations for excluding the mentally ill and juveniles. However, his recommended cap on solitary (15 days at a time, 60 days total in a year) is based on a UN Report of 2011, which itself was a compromise. Evidence continues to mount that solitary causes harm even in shorter stays. Independent oversight would be better than the current wide-open discretion accorded prison managers. You call for “getting those minimum standards right” and…

Hon Ralph Goodale, MPJune 7, 2017 Dear Mr Goodale We are pleased to see Correctional Services Canada conferring with equivalent provincial jurisdictions on reforming solitary confinement. We will not repeat the reasons for reform being needed at all levels – they are well known. Our point is to call for adequate reform – the abolition of solitary confinement – not merely the caps proposed by Howard Sapers (following the UN report of 2011) and other safeguards (albeit better than the status quo). Our prison system, at all levels, has rehabilitation as its goal; most prisoners will get out and their time inside should help…

Marie-France Lalonde, MPPMinister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Dear Ms Lalonde We were pleased when the premier appointed Howard Sapers to conduct a long-needed inquiry into the use of solitary confinement in Ontario prisons. We consider that Mr Sapers’s 63 recommendations go far in addressing the worst aspects of solitary confinement as currently practised (notably the ban on its use for juveniles, pregnant women and the mentally ill). We concur that independent oversight would be better than the wide-open discretion prison authorities currently have in imposing, and continuing, solitary confinement. However, we believe the time has come to go further: to abolish…

Interview with CCPHE Director Dr. Ruth Martin in a 2014 Georgia Straight article “Correctional Service Canada ignores repeated calls for reform on solitary confinement,” the third and final article in a 3-part series: Part 3: Correctional Service Canada ignores repeated calls for reform on solitary confinement Part 1: Deaths in solitary confinement prompt BC Coroner’s Inquest and calls for reform Part 2: Mentally ill inmates increasingly held in solitary confinement in Canadian prisons…