Edmonton Institution increased use of segregation last year, stats show

The use of administrative segregation at the Edmonton Institution maximum security prison increased last year by 45 per cent, bucking a national trend at prisons across the country.

Statistics provided by Correctional Service Canada show the number of inmates who spent time in the institution’s segregation unit jumped to 171 from 119 during 2016-17 — the first increase after two years of decline.

“Placement in segregation is based on human behaviour and risk, and therefore is not consistent across all security levels or institutions,” the correctional service said in an emailed statement to the Journal. “Fluctuations in the number of admissions in administrative segregation may be due to a changing population within a given region or limited transfer options for some inmates.”

The agency also tracks total admissions to segregation, of which there were 234 at the Edmonton Institution last year. That’s up from 162 in 2015, but is less than the number of admissions posted in previous years.

An individual prisoner may be placed in segregation more than once in a single year.

The increased use of solitary confinement in Edmonton occurred as most federal prisons around the country continued to empty their segregation units.

Statistics show the number of inmates in segregation across the country has declined to an average daily count of about 300 from about 800 over the past few years. However, the Prairies region — which includes the Edmonton Institution — has had trouble keeping up.

Asked for an explanation for the numbers in Edmonton, the correctional service did not provide definitive reasons for the jump. Instead, the agency provided a list of possible factors that could have contributed to the rise.

“Specifically, some institutions, such as Edmonton Institution, may experience an inmate population that may be more prone to security incidents between various security threat groups, and within the same security threat groups,” the emailed statement said.

As well, the agency noted some institutions are an entry point for inmates who are returning to prison after a period of release in the community. Such inmates may pose a variety of risks to staff, other inmates and the stability of the institution itself, or could potentially jeopardize an ongoing investigation, the service said.

Canada’s Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger said the Prairies region has some unique challenges from other areas of the country, most notably the highest number of gang-affiliated inmates.

“There are not only tensions between Indigenous gangs that can at times be difficult to manage … but there are also tensions within Indigenous gangs that make it even more challenging,” he said in an email.

As well, the average age of inmates in the Prairies is younger than in other regions, and violent incidents are more frequent among younger populations, he added.

Still, Zinger indicated he was generally pleased with the correctional service’s progress at reducing the use of solitary confinement. As of Aug. 25, the daily count in Canada was 237 — an all-time low.

The Prairies region had 90 of those segregation placements, by far the highest in the country, but also a record low for the region.

“That is remarkable progress and a sign of sound progressive correctional leadership,” Zinger said in his email.

He said the service has also succeeded over the past five years in decreasing the average length of time inmates spend in segregation from 36 days to 23.