Segregation time halved for inmates

Fifteen consecutive days will be the new maximum

The Ontario government is cutting in half the number of consecutive days inmates can spend in segregation — to15 from 30 — and saying the disciplinary measure is only to be used as a “last resort.”

David Orazietti, the province’s minister of community safety and correctional services, announced the changes Monday — effective immediately — while saying the government will hire a third party to help it overhaul the use of placing inmates in isolation as a disciplinary measure.

The government has already conducted its own review, with the goal of reducing the number of inmates in solitary confinement and finding alternatives to the practice.

The independent reviewer will hold further consultations and is to report back next spring, Orazietti said.

But from now on, Orazietti told reporters, segregation will “only be used under the least restrictive conditions available while still maintaining inmate and staff safety” and said a “weekly segregation review committee” is to be in place at each of the province’s 26 adult correctional institutions.

“Our government is committed to overhauling the use of segregation in this province and to supporting a fair, humane approach to segregation by focusing on the rehabilitation and reintroduction of offenders through improved programs, mental-health supports and greater staff and inmate safety,” said Orazietti, who represents Sault Ste. Marie.

But Jennifer French, the NDP’s correctional services critic, accused the government of taking too long to address the “crisis in corrections.”

An independent reviewer is expected to be named in the coming weeks.