Ending solitary is merciful, but costly By: Editorial Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Oct. 26, 2018

Opinion

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This article was published 26/10/2018 (2289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The decision to end the institutionalized torture of solitary confinement in federal prisons shows commendable compassion for criminals. But where’s the plan and the funding to deal with the consequences of the change?

Prison staff say removing the option of solitary confinement as a supervisory tool could mean more violence among inmates, and even toward correctional officers. Such possible results weren’t publicly addressed on Oct. 16 when the federal Liberals announced the bill that will remove two commonly used forms of solitary confinement, administrative segregation and disciplinary segregation, from federal prisons. The bill doesn’t affect the use of solitary in provincial jails.

A growing body of medical research shows such extreme confinement for periods longer than 15 days can induce hallucinations, panic attacks, major depression and reduced brain function

The upcoming change in federal prisons will be welcomed as long overdue by people who understand the psychological damage that is done to humans who are locked in cells as small as two metres by three metres with almost no human interaction for 22 hours a day. A growing body of medical research shows such extreme confinement for periods longer than 15 days can induce hallucinations, panic attacks, major depression and reduced brain function.

But while it was wise to end solitary, it would have been more wise for the Liberals to first consult front-line prison staff who use this measure to control dangerous inmates in facilities hampered by inadequate resources. They fear it will mean more violence behind bars.

“When this goes through, the bloodbath will start,” predicted Jason Godin, the national president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.

If his statement seems alarmist, perhaps it’s because he understands how solitary, for its many undeniable faults, helps prison staff keep order and protect prisoners from each other.

Solitary was originally used to discipline inmates for committing violence within prisons. But its use has expanded to deal with even non-violent infractions of prison rules, to house vulnerable people who are endangered by other prisoners and to segregate gang members who would attack prisoners linked to other gangs.

To open the solitary-confinement doors for these prisoners and keep everyone safe will require a substantial hike in on-the-range staffing. Mr. Godin said segregated inmates must be supervised at a ratio of two guards per one inmate when they’re not in their units.

The Liberals’ alternative to solitary will put prisoners on “specialized living units” that provide high-risk inmates at least four hours a day outside their cells and two hours a day of “meaningful human interaction.”

What was missing from this intriguing but vague scenario was how it will be accommodated in existing prison facilities, some of which have been crowded to the point of double-bunking and have inadequate resources for recreation and education.

Prisoners are generally in solitary because it’s dangerous to have them in the general population

Prisoners are generally in solitary because it’s dangerous to have them in the general population, and granting them substantially more freedom and contact with other prisoners will likely mean facilities need upgrades and possible physical-plant expansions.

If it’s backed by adequate funding, the decision to end solitary in federal prisons is the right direction. Manitoba should monitor Ottawa’s changes and consider ending solitary in provincial jails.

A responsible penal system looks ahead to the inmates’ release into the community. In ways both literal and figurative, solitary is the opposite of community. The community is not well served when it must contend with released inmates who are psychologically damaged from extended stints of solitary.

The Liberal intention is admirable. Now, it needs to put its money where its compassion is.