By Canadian Press

Excessive isolation in Canada’s prisons amounts to torture, criminologists report

Feb 24, 2021 | 11:35 AM

OTTAWA — A new report says too many federal inmates in isolation aren’t getting a few hours a day out of their cells, pushing them into territory that could be described as inhuman treatment or even torture.

Citing federal data, the report says nearly three in 10 prisoners in isolation units didn’t have all or any of the four hours out of their cells they are supposed to get, for two weeks at a time.

A further one in 10 were kept in excessive isolation for 16 days or longer, which by international laws and Canadian rulings constitutes cruel treatment.

The findings suggest the federal prison system is falling well short of the guidelines the Liberals ushered in for “structured intervention units” designed to allow better access to programming and mental-health care for inmates who need to be kept apart from other prisoners.

Prisoners transferred to the units are supposed to be allowed out of their cells for four hours each day, with two of those hours engaged in “meaningful human contact.”

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The report by two criminologists says there needs to be better oversight of how the units are managed, adding the results show Canada commits “torture by another name.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2021.

The Canadian Press