Vancouver – On Monday, June 24th, the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) will conduct a press conference following the release of the BC Court of Appeal’s ruling on the government’s attempt to preserve the use of prolonged, indefinite solitary confinement in prisons across Canada.
The government’s appeal defends the use of prolonged, indefinite solitary confinement despite the BC Supreme Court’s finding earlier this year that these laws violate the Charter rights of incarcerated people, causing them permanent harm and making both prisons and society less safe. The decision under appeal, which struck down the federal government’s administrative segregation regime as unconstitutional, was the result of a legal challenge brought by the BCCLA and the John Howard Society of Canada (JHSC).
In anticipation of the decision, the BCCLA stated: “The United Nations has deemed solitary confinement for more than 15 days to be a form of torture and it is finally time to end this practice in Canada. Both the Supreme Court of BC and the Ontario Court of Appeal have ruled that the practice of prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with mental illness, people with disabilities, and Indigenous people.”
The BCCLA and JHSC are represented in this case by Joseph Arvay, Q.C., and Alison Latimer of Arvay Finlay LLP, Vancouver.
