Prison COVID isolation ‘extremely concerning’

Measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country’s prisons violate their human rights even if authorities are acting in the context of a public health emergency, Canada’s prison ombudsman said on Friday.

In a lengthy assessment, Ivan Zinger said strict isolation of inmates has put them in difficult circumstances, although he did not address specific incidents of unrest said to be related to the pandemic.

“The stark choice for many infected inmates comes down to taking a shower, or making a call to a lawyer, my office or a family member,” said Zinger, the correctional investigator. “Fundamental human rights and dignity...must be respected.”

Data from Correctional Service Canada show at least 196 inmates in five of the country’s 43 prisons — in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia — have tested positive for the coronavirus, with 65 of them at B.C.’s Mission Institution. About 80 guards have similarly been infected. There has been one death.

Zinger called it “deeply concerning” that prison authorities had flagged about 400 inmates as under some form of medical isolation, meaning being locked in a cell for all but 20 minutes a day. Some may be isolated for other illnesses or nonCOVID reasons.

The ombudsman noted prisons had locked down inmates, shut gyms, libraries and other communal spaces, and suspended programs and communal meals. Even more restrictive measures were in place in those facilities with outbreaks, he said.