CBC is reporting that Five days before Chris Sutton took his own life at Her Majesty's Penitentiary, he wrote a letter to the human rights commission asking for help. In the one-page letter, Sutton requested that the commission send him a copy of "all the guidelines that fall under your department." "I would like to know about our rights to fresh air, and what the minimum requirement of fresh air a person should receive per day when inside an institution," he wrote. "Also along with the amount of exercise per day, I [would] like to know how long a person can be confined to a cell that has 24-hour lighting or if that's even allowed at all??"
"In October 2017, the provincial government announced changes to the way it segregates prisoners for disciplinary reasons. The changes included a reduction in maximum segregation time from 15 days to 10. Inmates will also have visitation privileges, as well as access to programs and services." Clay Roueche was in solitary for two years.
CNN is reporting that "Year after year, the United States beats out much larger countries - India, China - and more totalitarian ones - Russia and the Philippines - for the distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world." CNN posted some video clips. China is totalitarian BTW.
I was kept in solitary for an extremely long time, far longer than 15 days. I only got fresh air for about 30 minutes per month - if I was lucky, and if I was very lucky 30 minutes in the gym per month. It takes a toll mentally, and I am pretty sure that they were ignoring the law. I wrote to the ombudsman about that, and about being habitually denied medical care, even for broken and dislocated bones. The ombudsman is useless.
ReplyDeleteAfter about 1.5 years of segregation, much of which was spent in solitary confinement, they put me into a cell that still had blood all over the walls and ceiling because an inmate had recently been murdered in the cell. I was still in pre-trial custody, I hadn't even been convicted yet. There are many wonderful things about Canada, but there is also a dark side that most people don't know about. Correctional staff play games with people's lives, often intentionally putting people in dangerous situations for their own entertainment.
Truth.
DeleteHow we treat prisoners is disgusting. More than a few have died. Changes need to be made. people may think, they're just prisoners, who cares. Well those "prisoners' are human beings and out to be treated at least as well as the dogs at the SPCA. Currently they're not.
ReplyDeleteCanadian prisons are not set up to handle mentally ill people and that needs to change. Many are in jail because they committed crimes because they are mentally ill. tossing them in jail is simply wrong and inhuman. Lets hope this young man's death does not go by. Its time to end this insanity on the part of the Penitentiary Services.
Back in the 1970s people used to protest outside of prisons regarding the treatment of prisoners. One wonders when the life of a prisoner didn't count anymore?
They do matter. It's time to balance the extremes.
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