Top B.C. court upholds ruling that struck down Canada’s solitary confinement law

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Top B.C. court upholds ruling that struck down Canada’s solitary confinement law GlobeBC

“The draconian impact of the law on segregated inmates, as reflected in Canada’s historical experience with administrative segregation and in the judge’s detailed factual findings, is so grossly disproportionate to the objectives of the provision that it offends the fundamental norms of a free and democratic society,” Justice Gregory Fitch wrote on behalf of the three-judge panel.The panel rejected the federal government’s attempt to overturn the B.C.

Josh Paterson of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association addresses a news conference in Vancouver, Jan. 19, 2015.However, B.C. Civil Liberties Association executive director Josh Paterson said the new law does not eliminate the possibility of prolonged solitary confinement. The federal government has 30 days to decide whether to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said in a statement that the new law is backed by $448 million in new investments.

“This decision calls out Canada’s long-standing practice of isolating prisoners for weeks, months and even years at a time with no end in sight, a practice that has been condemned around the world as a form of torture,” she said.Former prisoners in this case bravely stepped forward to testify about spending 22 hours or more alone in their cells, she said, adding sometimes their only human contact was when a meal arrived through a slot in the door.

 

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