(file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Corrections

Indigenous group calls for judicial review of country’s prisons, incarceration policies

Sep 24, 2020 | 2:00 PM

A group representing Indigenous people is calling on the Correctional Service of Canada to conduct a judicial review into all its policies at the country’s prisons.

One of the more contentious issues is the time prisoners are spending in solitary confinement. Kim Beaudin, national vice chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), told paNOW any period of time in solitary longer than two weeks is considered torture.

“Unfortunately there’s been a number of people that have committed suicide within the system itself. I believe that in the last couple months in Saskatchewan alone there were two people held in provincial correctional centres [who have died by suicide], and two as well in the federal institution,” he said.

On November 30, 2019, a new correctional model which included structured interventions units (SIU), was introduced which eliminated administrative segregation. Last August a panel of experts, convened to investigate the use of the SIUs and released a scathing report detailing how their work was obstructed, undermined and blocked by Correctional Services Canada (CSC).

“Their vision and goal was to ensure that Corrections Canada was following policies and what was happening was that Corrections Canada wasn’t providing any information necessary for them to do their jobs so they just disbanded,” Beaudin said.

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Beaudin said CSC never provided reasons as to why no further information was provided.

According to the most recent departmental report, CSC currently oversees a budget of approximately $2.5 billion and 17,800 staff across the department, with $157 million and 233 staff allocated toward community supervision activities.

In addition to a judicial review, Beaudin is also calling on CSC to incrrease mental health supports for inmates.

Response from CSC

According to an emailed statement from the Correctional Service of Canada, the CSC takes its responsibilities and obligations very seriously, including the wellbeing of offenders in care.

“We provide timely access to interventions, programs and services for offenders which contributes to offenders becoming law-abiding, contributing members of society. This creates greater public safety for all Canadians,” the statement read.

The statement added Commissioner Anne Kelly personally met with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and had ongoing correspondence with them this spring about how to work together.

With respect to the specific concerns around segregation, the statement said the CSC has been – and continues to – actively work on the Independent Advisory Panel to provide the data they requested, so they can complete their important work.

“We are committed to providing the panel with what it needs as we continue to work collaboratively with them,” the statement said.

Lastly the statement also described a number of measures and supports in place to address the mental health needs of offenders.

The CSC said offenders have access to mental health care provided by qualified health care professionals, based on an individualized assessment of their needs. Mental health services are provided along a continuum of care, and CSC institutions have inter-disciplinary teams of mental health professionals to provide essential mental health services and supports.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell