Still torture…

Feb 25, 2021

Special Report

 Anthony N. Doob, Professor Emeritus of Criminology, University of Toronto, and Jane B. Sprott, Professor (Full), Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Ryerson University, Toronto

 Solitary Confinement, Torture,

and Canada’s Structured Intervention Units

This third report from two leading criminologists documents on CSC’s own stats the use of torture in Canada’s federal prisons in spite of the prohibition by the courts and the announcement of its end, from the Canadian Liberal government and Correctional authorities.  The authors present an executive summary, the report itself, and the conclusions from the study.  The segregation / solitary has a new name ‘Structured Intervention Units’ but no recognizable difference from solitary as practice for years in the prisons.

“This third report demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt the necessity of having two types of review of SIUs. In the first place, as those in Canada who have been looking at forms of segregation for a very long time have suggested, some form of meaningful independent – perhaps judicial –oversight needs to be implemented to review cases soon after transfer to the SIU. We think that the time has come for Canada to acknowledge that it still has solitary confinement and torture by another name. Second, there needs to be a small, but dedicated and permanent body to provide systematic oversight of the operation of these units across Canada. Canada’s experience since November 2019, makes it clear that we cannot rely on CSC alone to provide adequate information about the operation of the SIUs…It worries us, however, that the things that we are seeing, and the lack of accountability that appears to exist, does not look to us to be very different from what experts on this topic have been describing for at least 50 years. We find it important to note that when we read reports on solitary confinement written decades ago by Canadian experts like Michael Jackson, it appears that nothing much has changed.”  Full report at: https://www.crimsl.utoronto.ca/sites/www.crimsl.utoronto.ca/files/Torture%20Solitary%20SIUs%20%28Sprott%20Doob%2023%20Feb%202021%29.pdf  (A 28 page report)

 

Related article:  Globe and Mail – Patrick White Federal prisons still use solitary confinement, report says  “The findings offer a bleak assessment of progress at the national jailer as it struggles to comply with prison legislation that many civil liberties advocates consider inadequate to protect the Charter rights of inmates.”  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-federal-prisons-still-use-solitary-confinement-report-says/

Related article: Vox.com – Justin Ling   Canada Is Torturing Inmates with Solitary Confinement, Report Finds  https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wj78/canada-is-torturing-inmates-with-solitary-confinement-study-says   

Related article: Justin Ling on the Global’s Morning Show with Mike Stafford   Canada’s unconstitutional use of solitary confinement in prisons continues, despite promises to stop it   https://omny.fm/shows/640-toronto/canadas-unconstitutional-use-of-solitary-confineme

Related article: Toronto Star – Murray Fallis   Canada’s prisons consistently violate the Mandela Rules  https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/02/24/canadas-prisons-consistently-violate-the-mandela-rules.html

Excerpt from Michael Jackson (referenced by Doob and Sprott) on solitary:  A Review of 1983 University of Toronto publication:  Prisoners of Isolation: Solitary Confinement in Canada  https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hjQ5DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT10&dq=solitary+confinement+canada&ots=cA-XTsFzP7&sig=4uyWbzw2KhfgXA49i_4KjKlYvc8#v=onepage&q=solitary%20confinement%20canada&f=false