New administration segregation policy for HMP still being worked on: Parsons
Changes needed at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary (HMP) and other correctional facilities in the province to allow full implementation of a new policy on disciplinary and administrative segregation are still being worked on, Justice and Public Safety Minister Andrew Parsons said Thursday.
Last October the provincial government dropped the maximum disciplinary segregation period at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary from 15 days to 10 days. The change also provides the inmate an opportunity to get out of the isolation cell earlier by earning remission or good time.
Family visits are also now allowed to segregated inmates.
And before being sent to the isolation cell, they now undergo a mental-health assessment. If found likely to be suffering from mental-health issues, an inmate cannot be placed in segregation and must be referred for further treatment.
The new policy was based upon a report completed by a segregation review committee assembled during the spring of 2016.
The committee’s report made 18 recommendations — 14 of which were to be implemented immediately, while the remaining four would come into effect after some infrastructure changes.
Parsons said there is still a lot of work to do, particularly toward administrative segregation. He said the most pressing problem is infrastructure issues at the aged HMP.
“This is something that certainly would be a big change to our facilities and our operations here,” Parsons said. “We’ve introduced changes to disciplinary segregation and we are working on the administration side. Some of the challenges we face are even bigger than even changing policies. When we look at the infrastructure we are dealing with, when we are talking about the fact we have a high number of inmates, we have bigger issues outside that we also have to work on that will affect how segregation will work inside our facilities.
“We are still working through that. I have full faith in the superintendent, the captains here, and our staff all across our province. These are people who are with inmates 24-7 and they are doing the best they can, often in trying circumstances, so certainly I’m willing to work with them to do what we can, but some of the challenges we face go outside of implementing policy. We are talking about needing new bricks and mortar in some cases.”
The prison’s regulations under the Prisons Act describe each type of segregation: “Administrative segregation is used to separate a prisoner from general population when his/ her continued presence in the general population would pose a serious threat to life, property, self, staff, other inmates or to the security and good order of the institution.
“Disciplinary segregation is generally known as a form of separation from the general population for a specified period of time for violating prison rules and regulations, including failing to comply with the lawful direction given by the superintendent or officers.”