Ottawa sued by B.C. group over solitary confinement

civil liberties group has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over solitary confinement, two years after the top courts in British Columbia and Ontario ruled there has been a violation of prisoners’ constitutional rights.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association alleges in a notice of civil claim filed in British Columbia Supreme Court that the conditions of solitary confinement infringe on federal inmates’ charter rights, arguing they are exposed to physical, psychological, social and spiritual trauma.

Grace Pastine, the association’s litigation director, said thousands of inmates are still being isolated in their cells for 22 hours a day or more with little access to human contact, despite promised reforms.

A statement of defence has not been filed with the court.