The province’s justice minister says you don’t need case law to understand the negative effects of segregation on those in the corrections system.
Andrew Parsons was responding to a recent Supreme Court decision that will allow laws surrounding prisoner isolation to remain in effect for the time being, despite being declared unconstitutional 18 months ago.
The time will allow governments to come up with an alternative.
Parsons says every province and the federal government know it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
He says the provincial government is moving toward a replacement because of the negative impact on inmates.
He understands the need to keep a person from harming themselves or others, but at the same time, we have to recognize the psychological impact that it has.