The federal government has decided they would rather support torture than comply with the law and stop the use of indefinite solitary confinement in Canadian prisons. We need your help to end this destructive practice now.
 
One out of every four prisoners in Canada has spent time in solitary confinement. Isolated for up to 23 hours a day, sometimes months and years at a time, they have been harmed physically, mentally, and spiritually. At any given time, there are as many as 1800 people in solitary confinement in federal or provincial correctional institutions. 
 
The United Nations has found solitary confinement for more than 15 days to be a form of torture. People are needlessly suffering right now -- will you sign the petition and call on the federal government to end this torturous practice?
 
Solitary confinement has numerous long-term negative impacts, including psychosis, hallucinations, insomnia and confusion. Solitary confinement can create mental illness where none previously existed, or exacerbate pre-existing illness. The suicide rate for prisoners is seven times the rate of the Canadian public, with nearly half of those suicides occurring in solitary confinement.
 
These damaging effects increase the longer the prisoner is kept isolated. Ultimately, solitary leaves many individuals traumatized and less able to reintegrate and live fulfilling lives in our communities.

The Supreme Courts of BC and Ontario have ruled that this practice is unconstitutional and discriminates against some of the most vulnerable members of society - mentally ill and Indigenous prisoners are placed in solitary confinement at a higher rate than other prisoners.


We need you to stand with us now to end this brutal practice. Show the government that we will not stand for torture. Please sign now, and help us end indefinite solitary confinement!

 

---

We're calling on the federal government to comply with the law by 

• Putting a hard time-cap on solitary confinement
• Reviewing segregation by an independent external reviewer within 5 days
• Empowering the independent external reviewer to release prisoners from solitary confinement
• Ensuring prisoners have a right to counsel at their review hearing
• Prohibiting the use of solitary confinement for individuals with mental illness and/or mental disabilities
• Implementing a framework to prevent discrimination against Indigenous prisoners