Canada’s prison investigator has already warned that, too often, inmates are put in solitary confinement, and now, a children’s advocate in the province of Ontario wants an end to the segregation of youth for more than 24 hours.
The Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth reviewed Ontario’s 20 youth justice facilities and found that many children under 16 were subjected to what it called dehumanizing conditions while they were in solitary confinement.
Youth called segregation ‘inhumane’
Young people who were interviewed for the report described their segregation as “inhumane.” They said they often suffered extreme temperatures, little access to fresh air, no bedding in daytime or prolonged periods without toilet paper or flush toilets.
Half of 141 interviewees said they were denied access to a lawyer and some said they were taunted by staff.
The advocate found the facilities had been increasingly using segregation. There were 186 placements last year, up from 106 in 2013. Youth had been confined for periods between one minute and 15 days, and 38 of them had spent more than 72 hours in solitary in 2014.
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