By Canadian Press

Panel overseeing prison segregation says they were blocked from doing their work

Aug 26, 2020 | 11:33 AM

OTTAWA — An independent panel tasked with overseeing segregation of inmates in federal prisons says the Correctional Service of Canada blocked it from doing its job.

In a report, chair Anthony Doob says the panel’s work was stymied by an inability to get usable information from the federal corrections service about its use of structured intervention units.

The federal government had appointed the panel to oversee the implementation of the units as an alternative to solitary confinement for prisoners who pose risks to security or themselves.

Now, the panel no longer exists because the volunteer members’ one-year appointments have either expired or will expire within a few weeks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa is taking the report seriously and that Public Safety Minister Bill Blair is engaging with the federal corrections service on the issue.

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Trudeau says Blair will have more to say about this in the coming days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2020.

The Canadian Press