‘Ottawa’ Solitary Limit Halved, Segregation Announced as Last Resort, Corrections Minister
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.