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The number of consecutive days an inmate can spend in segregation for disciplinary reasons has been cut in half and solitary confinement will now only be used as a “measure of last resort” under the least restrictive conditions available, Ontario’s corrections minister announced Monday.
The changes will take effect immediately while the province prepares to appoint an independent reviewer to reform current policies and practices being used in Ontario jails, said Community Safety and Correctional Services minister David Orazietti.
The goal will be to reduce the number of inmates currently held in solitary confinement and build a system in which “appropriate alternatives to segregation are more available for vulnerable inmates, such as pregnant women and those with acute mental health issues,” said the ministry.
The government hopes to be able to release the plan in September 2017.
In the meantime, Orazietti said the government is taking immediate steps to change how it segregates inmates.
The measures include:
Other measures include a review of how the ministry collects data surrounding segregation and an assessment of the existing infrastructure relating to segregation.
“I have ordered this independent review to help build on the important work already underway to address issues with respect to the use of segregation in our adult correctional facilities,” Orazietti said in a statement. “We are working to bring some immediate support to inmates currently housed in segregation by continuing to work with Ontario’s correctional staff to implement these important changes while this review is underway. These changes are also a critical step in our broader strategy to transform our province’s correctional services, and we will ensure that the safety and well-being of inmates and staff remain our top priority.”
The announcement comes after repeated calls for changes with how Ontario uses solitary confinement, including reports in the Citizen about an inmate who was found unfit to stand trial after spending 18 straight months in solitary confinement at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
Mutiur Rehman started hallucinating and hearing voices in his head after being locked up for 23 hours a day and with little or no social interaction for a year-and-a-half. After being removed from the jail and receiving treatment at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Rehman’s mental state improved enough for him to plead guilty to manslaughter in the 2013 death of Andre Boisclair. However, his lawyer now intends to argue Rehman’s Charter rights were violated during his stay in segregation.
Another inmate, accused serial rapist Yousef Mohammed Hussein, hanged himself with his bedsheets in his solitary confinement cell in April.
A Citizen report on solitary confinement based on internal jail reports obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed that nearly half of the approximately 80 inmates who spent more than 30 days in solitary confinement at the Ottawa jail in 2014 suffered from mental health issues.
A special task force created to recommend solutions to overcrowding at the jail on Innes Road called for a “significant reduction of the use of segregation.” The task force recommendations included ensuring inmates have access to fresh air, interaction with others and mental health supports, and that the ministry should do a better job collecting and tracking data about inmates who are segregated.
Ontario’s ombudsman Paul Dubé called on the province to permanently abolish the practice of locking up inmates in solitary confinement for indefinite periods of time in May.
Dubé made 28 recommendations regarding solitary confinement, including changing the law so that no inmate spends more than 15 consecutive days in solitary confinement or 60 days in solitary confinement in a year.
Dubé also called on the province to put in place “robust” safeguards for anyone who is put in segregation, including an independent panel made up of people from outside the correctional system to review segregation placements and having a mental health provider check on segregated inmates every 24 hours.
The United Nations has declared that placing inmates in segregation for longer than 15 days is a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Others who have made similar recommendations include the inquest into the death of federal inmate Ashley Smith, federal Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers, and Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Renu Mandhane.
aseymour@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/andrew_seymour
查看原文...
The changes will take effect immediately while the province prepares to appoint an independent reviewer to reform current policies and practices being used in Ontario jails, said Community Safety and Correctional Services minister David Orazietti.
The goal will be to reduce the number of inmates currently held in solitary confinement and build a system in which “appropriate alternatives to segregation are more available for vulnerable inmates, such as pregnant women and those with acute mental health issues,” said the ministry.
The government hopes to be able to release the plan in September 2017.
In the meantime, Orazietti said the government is taking immediate steps to change how it segregates inmates.
The measures include:
- A limit of 15 consecutive days in disciplinary segregation will be established, reduced from the current maximum of 30 consecutive days
- A weekly segregation review committee will be created at each jail to conduct case reviews of all inmates in segregation
- Loss of all privileges in disciplinary segregation will be eliminated, and jails will move toward alternative sanctions and increased incentives for inmates to maintain good behaviour
- Work will begin with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to explore ways to enhance the appropriate supports for inmates with mental health issues and other vulnerable inmates
Other measures include a review of how the ministry collects data surrounding segregation and an assessment of the existing infrastructure relating to segregation.
“I have ordered this independent review to help build on the important work already underway to address issues with respect to the use of segregation in our adult correctional facilities,” Orazietti said in a statement. “We are working to bring some immediate support to inmates currently housed in segregation by continuing to work with Ontario’s correctional staff to implement these important changes while this review is underway. These changes are also a critical step in our broader strategy to transform our province’s correctional services, and we will ensure that the safety and well-being of inmates and staff remain our top priority.”
The announcement comes after repeated calls for changes with how Ontario uses solitary confinement, including reports in the Citizen about an inmate who was found unfit to stand trial after spending 18 straight months in solitary confinement at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
Mutiur Rehman started hallucinating and hearing voices in his head after being locked up for 23 hours a day and with little or no social interaction for a year-and-a-half. After being removed from the jail and receiving treatment at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Rehman’s mental state improved enough for him to plead guilty to manslaughter in the 2013 death of Andre Boisclair. However, his lawyer now intends to argue Rehman’s Charter rights were violated during his stay in segregation.
Another inmate, accused serial rapist Yousef Mohammed Hussein, hanged himself with his bedsheets in his solitary confinement cell in April.
A Citizen report on solitary confinement based on internal jail reports obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed that nearly half of the approximately 80 inmates who spent more than 30 days in solitary confinement at the Ottawa jail in 2014 suffered from mental health issues.
A special task force created to recommend solutions to overcrowding at the jail on Innes Road called for a “significant reduction of the use of segregation.” The task force recommendations included ensuring inmates have access to fresh air, interaction with others and mental health supports, and that the ministry should do a better job collecting and tracking data about inmates who are segregated.
Ontario’s ombudsman Paul Dubé called on the province to permanently abolish the practice of locking up inmates in solitary confinement for indefinite periods of time in May.
Dubé made 28 recommendations regarding solitary confinement, including changing the law so that no inmate spends more than 15 consecutive days in solitary confinement or 60 days in solitary confinement in a year.
Dubé also called on the province to put in place “robust” safeguards for anyone who is put in segregation, including an independent panel made up of people from outside the correctional system to review segregation placements and having a mental health provider check on segregated inmates every 24 hours.
The United Nations has declared that placing inmates in segregation for longer than 15 days is a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Others who have made similar recommendations include the inquest into the death of federal inmate Ashley Smith, federal Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers, and Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Renu Mandhane.
aseymour@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/andrew_seymour
查看原文...
